No bullshit guide to math and physics

I have been out of undergrad for a few years and now starting a graduate program in STEM. I bought this book to get up to speed before I start my program and its been awesome. Some of the concepts need better/clearer explanations and sometimes there is fluff in the content, but overall, great guide to get back into mathematics. Would recommend!

I teach advanced placement math, including to High School students interested in Computational Mathematics (Boolean, combinatoric, sequential logic, matrix calculus, etc.). This book and Glendinning's wonderful all-topic overview of advanced math (Math in Minutes: 200 Key Concepts Explained In An Instant (Knowledge in a Flash)) are my best "go to" texts for both orienting and refreshing students, and giving a taste for how the concepts apply to advanced topics.Some reviewers ding this book for either the author's swearing or political jokes. Well, I agree that if you're sensitive about your students being exposed to mild profanity, you probably wouldn't buy a book with BS in the title anyway. I'm with those reviewers and wish the author had stuck to his area of genius-- making math understandable, but the content is SO good that one can ignore this and a couple other deficits.The book is not as much math and physics as calculus and physics. It does give some very well explained intro materials on algebra and geometry, in the context of how calculus applies to motion and physics. The author is an astonishingly intuitive teacher, showing with many problem examples how the equations really model the problem components, in a really practical way. By intuitive, I mean this (my own example, not from the book): If you run at 2 miles an hour, you're obviously running a 30 minute mile. 3 miles an hour would be a 20 minute mile (3 20's in 60). 4 miles an hour a 15 minute mile. Question: does this series converge on an equality (minute mile = mph), and if so, where?The answer is where intuitive comes in: YES, the convergence is at the square root of 60, which answers the question of which two numbers when multiplied equally give the INDEX of the problem, or 60. the answer is 7.7459666... as where the minute mile equals the miles per hour. The INTUITIVE part of the problem is that it illustrates that a square root is more than just the diagonal (sqrt 2) of a unit square, it also is a practical tool used often with indexing to balance equations.Today, the older practice of solving equations at a simple level with substitution and balancing has been replaced with functional inverses, and indeed, in the author's "background chapter" does exactly that, giving a wonderfully intuitive look at, for example, why using functional inverses throws log solutions into equations in the exponents, a pretty advanced topic! The author is dead wrong when he says that if you can solve x squared minus 4=45 you can skip the chapter, there is WAY more in the chapter of value even if you have that rudimentary skill.The book continuously applies calculus to physics problems, with great examples and many outstanding exercises. If you never really "got" calculus as slope finding or areas under curves, this gives the "intuitive" motion stopping ability of the techniques in a much more intelligible way. Sure, you get the traditional limits stuff, but the APPLICATIONS he gives are the real gold here.Highly recommended as a refresher, self teacher, and for AP High School or beginning undergrad science students as prep for advanced classes. The author's stated objective (and his strong feelings reflected in the swearing) is to present a less expensive volume that does a lot more than the rip off texts that charge $200 and are "padded" with BS to increase the price. In my opinion, if you can get over the idiosyncrasies common to self publishing, he accomplishes this admirably.

I'm working on an engineering degree and this book has demystified the introductory math and physics concepts and skill required to even get started in that career field. I thought that the math and physics was just going to be too much and I should try something different. Before I gave up on it, I did some searching online for books that could help break down math and physics in more direct and simplified ways, and this book was suggested. I have a hard rule for only buying books with a 70% 5-Star Rating, and this book met the criteria. The second and third order effects of having bought, read, and worked the problems in this book are remarkable. I'd never imagined I could learn calculus or understand mechanics but now they are firm foundations in my academic back ground. If you're looking for a great book to improve you year one college math and physics skills regardless of where you're at in those subjects, and how you intend to use the skills, this book is for you. Solid 5-Stars.

Love the humor in it

With a general background in Calc and very much beginner physics knowledge, I was able to take the physics portion page by page and understand everything. I've been trying to learn physics for a long time, longer than I'd really care to share, and I think it's finally sinking in. I'm not sure I would have understood much had I started learning physics with this book and/or didn't know calculus (not to the fault of the author but because physics is hard and there's no easy way to absorb it. I think I really did arrive at this book at the right time with enough of a base knowledge in math and extremely basic knowledge of physics and it paid off). This did however nicely pieced everything together in a way that worked for me so definitely a good purchase. Would love to see one on differential equations or advanced physics!

The author has delivered a remarkable achievement. He has provided an introduction to calculus and physics that is clear and accessible, and he has done it in fewer than 400 pages. Wait, how is that possible? It's possible because he doesn't bog down readers in formal proofs. Formal proofs are important in mathematics, but they're not important to every reader. If they're important to you, then you should buy a different book. Even the graphics are clear and readable (not always true in paperbacks.) This book is a perfect companion with Sylvanus Thompson's classic, "Calculus Made Easy." The only criticism I have is the title; it seems to trivialize the topic. I wish the author had used something like, "Basic Guide" or "Essential Guide." Title aside, kudos to the author for an excellent book.