MathematicalFoundations

Introduction:
Thiscollectionofbooksarespeciallyselectedtoassistpeopleteachingthemselvesmathematics.Inthe
fileIwilltellyouwhattoexpect,ofthecontentshere.
Thisaimstobe(andis)acompletelyselfcontained,fullhighschoolcurriculumofmathematics.This
packageisdesignedwithaspecificaudienceinmind.Thatis,peoplethathavenomatheducation
beyondbasicmathbutareseriousaboutlearning.Peoplewhoforwhateverreasonhavedecidedto
teachthemselvesmaththerightway,thatis,noshortcuts,toreallyunderstandit.Ithasbeenassumed
youhaveNOaccesstoateacher,atutor,aparent,brother,friend,oranyhumanbeingthatknows
anythingaboutmathematics.Ialsoassumeyoudonothaveagraphingcalculator,thisisincludedtoo.I
waspersonallyinthissituationmyselfandIhadreceivednoformalmatheducation.Idecidedtoteach
myselfmathematics.Sure,itwashardbutitcouldhavebeeneasier.Mygoalhereistomakeiteasierfor
you.Butthebiggestchallengewasknowingwheretoevenstart.Lessthan5monthslaterIlearnedthatI
actuallylovemathandIamnowteachingmyselftrigonometry.Allofthebooksinherearethesame
exactbooksIusedtoteachmyselfmathematics(uptotrigonometry).Icanpersonallysay,notonlyhaveI
usedthesebooks,butmyinitiallearningexperiencecamefromthesebooks.Iknowexactlywherethe
weakpointsareineachbookandImakeyouawareofthem.BecauseofthisIamincludingextra
textbooksthatcomplementthemainbooktobelearnedfrom.Thereisintentionallyasmallnumberof
booksbecausethereisnoneedtohave100softextbookswhenyouonlyneedafew(that,andIhave
usedthematerialmyself).Alsomostofthesebooksarefreeoroutofcopyright(mathisoneofthemost
timelesssciencestheageofabookdoesnotmatter),thoughsomearenotyoushouldconsiderbuying
themifyoucan.Iunderstandwhatitmeanstohavelittlemoneymyselfsoitisunderstandableifyou
dont.Youwillfindthatbyteachingyourselfyouwilllearnsignificantlymorethanifyouhadateacher,
andthatyouwillretaintheinformationbetter.Astrongfoundationinmathiswhatyouwillhaveattheend
ofthis.
THEORYBOOKS:WHENIWANTEDTOTEACHMYSELFMATHIREMEMBEREDALLOFTHETRICKSIWASTAUGHT
INGRADESCHOOL.SOMEWHICHSEEMEDTOMAKENOSENSESUCHASCROSSMULTIPLICATIONANDFLIPTHE
FRACTION.IFOUNDTHISSILLYWHENIWANTEDTOLEARNTHERIGHTWAYWHICHISWHYITWORKSANDNOT
JUSTREMEMBERINGABUNCHOFTRICKS.THEPROBLEMIRANINTOISTHATBEGINNERALGEBRABOOKSCOME
WITHLITTLEEXPLAINING,THISISPROBABLYBECAUSETHEYAREWRITTENFORATYPICALAMERICANHIGH
SCHOOLERTHATDOESNOTWANTTOKNOWWHYMATHWORKSBUTWANTSTOBESHOWNHOWTOSOLVEA
PROBLEMASQUICKASPOSSIBLE.SOIHAVEINCLUDEDSOMEBOOKSTHATINCLUDETHETHEORYBEHINDTHESE
STUDIES,SOMEWHICHARESPECIFICTOPARTSOFHIGHSCHOOLMATHWHICHAREOFTENRARELY
UNDERSTOODWELLATFIRSTENCOUNTER.DONOTWORRYTHEYAREALLUNDERSTANDABLEFORSOMEONE
WITHLITTLEEXPERIENCE.
ExtraBooks:Thesearebooksthatareincludedforextrareferenceorarereferredtolater.Ifyouare
rustyonthemostbasicofmathematics,suchasaddition,subtraction,divisionormultiplication,Ihave
includedthebookFundamentalsofMathematics.Noneedtoworkthroughtheentirebookandwaste
time,justreviewwhatyouneedto.IhighlyrecommendyoureadWhatIsMathematicsitisnotabook
aboutmathitisabookthatoffersconceptualexplanationsoneverythingyouwillneedtoknowplusa
littlebitmore.
STUDYTIPS:
BEFOREANYTHINGUNDERSTANDTHATYOUSHOULDNOT,UNDERANYCIRCUMSTANCECRAMALLTHISINAS
QUICKASPOSSIBLE.ITHASBEENOBSERVEDMANYTIMESBYSCIENTISTSTHATTHEBRAINRETAINS
INFORMATIONMUCHBETTERWHENITLEARNSATASTEADYPACERATHERTHANLOTSATONCE.NOMORE
THANONECHAPTERADAY(1/2ACHAPTERFORTHELARGERCHAPTERS).IFYOURTOOANGRY,DEPRESSED,
BOTHEREDANDYOUCANTFOCUS,DONTPUSHYOURSELF.TAKINGANENTIREDAYOFFFROMMATHIS

COMPLETELYACCEPTABLEANDSHOULDBEDONEABOUTONCEAWEEK.CONSISTENCYMAINTAINEDOVER
LONGERPERIODSOFTIMEISMOREIMPORTANT,ANDCONSISTENCYDOESNOTNECESSARILYMEANEVERYDAY.

ANDDONTBEANIDIOTANDSITINFRONTOFTHETVWHILEYOUWORK,DONTTAKEYOURSELFSERIOUSLY
ANDYOUWILLFAILINALMOSTANYTHING.

REVIEWING:
THEREWILLBETIMESWHEREYOULEARNCONCEPTA,ANDWILLNOTUSECONCEPTAFORMANYWEEKSAND
THENALLOFASUDDENWILLBEEXPECTEDTOKNOWITFORCONCEPTBWHICHBUILDSUPONIT,ANDYOUMAY
HAVEFORGOTTENIT.THISHAPPENSTOEVERYONEANDITSHAPPENEDTOME,DON'TFEELBADABOUTGOING
BACKANDREVIEWINGSOMEBASICMATERIALTHATMAYHAVESLIPPEDYOURMIND.ANDEVENIFYOUDOFEEL
BAD,GOBACKANDREVIEWIT.
DRUGS:
Somemathematiciansadsorbcaffeineatalarmingrates,andyoumayfindyourselfinthispositionof
usingdrugstohelppushyourself.Ifyouaretakinganysedativessuchaspainmedication,sleepingpills,
orrecreationaldrugssuchasalcoholormarijuana,itwillaffectyourabilitytoretainmemoryalot,sodon't
studyondrugsthatslowyoudown.Stimulantssuchasenergydrinks,caffeine,cocaine,and
amphetaminestendtonothaveabadeffectonmemory,(thoughsomeofthosehaveabadeffecton
yourlife)sotheyaresafeforstudy.Taketoomuchofastimulantandyouwillnotbeabletoconcentrate
onanythingatall,somoderateyourself.
ElementaryAlgebra:
BeginneralgebraisusuallycalledAlgebra1asahighschoolclass.Itisthemostimportantofallofthese
classesbecauseyoucannotlearnmuchmathwithoutit.Alsoitwillbethehardestpartofmathtoteach
yourself(Itwasforme).Thisisbecausethemostnewconceptsarepresentedhere,alsobecauseitis
yourfirsttimestudyingmathandpossiblyanythingbyyourself.Ifyoucangetthroughthis,youhave
completedthehardestpart,andarefittocontinuelearningmathematicstoanylevelyouchose.
AlgebraDemystified:AtfirstallIhadwasthatalgebrademystifiedbook,thereislittleexplaining,but
enoughforyougetthroughtheproblems.Thiswillbeyourmainbook.Somepartaretoolittleexplained.
Thosearemostlyfactoringandquadratics.YESyouhavetodothechapteronlinearapplications,Iknow
itsalonganddifficultone,andsomeoftheproblemsmayevenseemridiculousforbasicalgebra,butitis
essentialtoseehowpowerfulevensimplealgebrais.Thelastchapteronquadraticapplicationsmaybe
skipped(Idid)thisisbecausethequadraticwilltakeupalargepartofIntermediateAlgebraandyouwill
getafull,propertreatmentofitlateron.Buttheintuitionisalwaysgood,thinkofitasanextracredit
chapter.Taketheincludedfinalexam.
*WHENYOUSTARTCHAPTER5OFALGEBRADEMYSTIFIEDBEGINREADINGTHEFIRSTCHAPTEROFALGEBRA
ANDTRIGONOMETRYASCASUALREADING,YOUSHOULDHAVECOMPLETEDREADINGTHISCHAPTERBYTHE
TIMEYOUFINISHTHISBOOK.
ELEMENTARYALGEBRA:THISISAFULLTRADITIONALTEXTBOOKITHASMOREPROBLEMSANDEXPLAININGTHAN
THEWORKBOOKOFFERED,FORANYPARTTHATYOUFEELYOUNEEDMOREEXPLAININGORWORKON,USETHIS
BOOK.ITISA978PAGEMONSTROSITY,ANDPERSONALLYIDONTTHINKWORKINGTHROUGHTHISWILLGIVE
YOUMUCHMOREKNOWLEDGETHANTHEDEMYSTIFIEDBOOK,USEITTOLOOKUPANYTHINGYOUTHINKYOU
NEEDEXTRAHELPON.
AfterAlgebra1Completion:
*StartworkingonAlgebrabyI.M.Gelfand.Itsashortworkbook.Workthroughtheproblems,especially
onesondifferencesofsquaresandfactoring.Thisisasideprojectdonotletitovertakeyoufromthe

maincourse.Acoupleproblemsadayisfine,thiswillhelpbuildupyourmathematicalsophistication.
Someoftheproblemarequitedifficult(andinteresting)butmostarenot.
**StartonAlgebra:Sets,SymbolsandtheLanguageofThoughtasacasualreading.
Intermediatealgebra:
Intermediatealgebraiscommonlyreferredtoas gAlgebra2 horgCollegeAlgebra h.Don ftlet
thenamegcollege hscareyouhere,anyonewhotakesthisincollegedoessobecausetheydidnot
inhighschool(orforgotwhattheylearned).Algebra2stopsatlogarithmsandexponentialstraditionally.It
mayglook hmoreintensewhenyouarelookingaheadinthebook,butIcanassurethisiswhere
everythingstartstocometogether.gCollegeAlgebraDemystified histhebookIfromandwillbeyour
mainbook.otherbookisafulltextbookandcouldbeusedwithouttheworkbook,itwilltakelongerbut
youlearnabitmore.Ididnotdothisthough,andhasnotaffectedmemuch,regardlessyouwillusepart
ofitanyway.Youhavecomethisfarbyyourselfandgottenthroughthehardestpart.Thoughyouhave
notevenscratchedthesurface,itsstillalotmorethanmostpeoplecansay.Keepgoing.

COLLEGEALGEBRADEMYSTIFIED:THISISNOTASHARDASTHEFIRSTONE,THEREARELESSAPPLIED
PROBLEMSANDMOREEXPLAINING,INFACT,THEEXPLAININGISCONSIDERABLYBETTERTHANYOURPREVIOUS
BOOK.ITHASAVERYSOLIDSECTIONSONCOORDINATEGEOMETRY(KNOWNASGRAPHING,YOUDONOTNEED
TOKNOWTRADITIONALGEOMETRYFORTHIS)ANDAHUGESECTIONONFUNCTIONS.DONOTDOTHECHAPTERS
ONSYSTEMSOFEQUATIONSOREXPONENTIALS.SYSTEMSOFEQUATIONSARECOVEREDINMUCHGREATER
DETAILINHIGHERMATHEMATICSSOYOUWILLENDUPRELEARNINGTHEMATERIALTHERIGHTWAYINTHENEXT
BOOK,ALSOTHECHAPTERISTOOSHORTFORTHISSUBJECTANYWAY.EXPONENTIALSANDLOGARITHMSARE
SOMEOFTHEMOSTIMPORTANTPARTSOFMATHEMATICS,BUTTHECHAPTERHEREISTOOSMALL,ANDYOU
NEEDSOMEREALPRACTICEWITHIT,ONCEYOUFINISHTHECHAPTERONPOLYNOMIALFUNCTIONSDOTHEFINAL
EXAM,IGNOREANYQUESTIONSONMATERIALYOUHAVENOTCOVERED.YOUWILLFINISHINTERMEDIATE
ALGEBRAWITHTHEOTHERBOOK.TAKEABREAKFORADAYORTWO,YOUEARNEDIT.
*Youshouldhavereachedpage50ingelfandbynowyoumaycasuallyslowdownifyouwishbutdonot
stop,themoreinterestingproblemsareinthesecondhalfofthisbook.
**Youshouldhavereaduptotheendofchapter2inAlgebra:Sets,SymbolsandtheLanguageof
Thought(page31)onceyoufinishCollegeAlgebraDemystified.Youmaystopthisbooknowifyouwish.
Thelaterchaptersmaybetooadvanced.
***YournewcasualreadingisthesecondchapterofAlgebraandTrigonometry.Ifyouhavealreadyread
it,thenyouhavenothingtoreadhere.ThistakesprecedenceoverreadingAlgebra:Sets,Symbolsand
theLanguageofThoughtifyoucontinuetoreadthatbook.
CollegeAlgebra:Thisisagoodbookandanauthenticcollegetextbook.StartatYouwillstartwitha
shortreviewofpolynomialsinchapter3section3.2andcontinueallthewayintotheendofchapter4.
(Youhavealreadycoveredthematerialbeforechapter3inthebook.)Nowtherestofthebookpast
chapter4iscertainlyvaluableandyoumayuseitifyouwish,butitiscommonlycoveredinotherplaces
andusuallyingreaterdepthlateron.Younowknowenoughalgebratokillasmallchild(figuratively
speakingofcourse).Butinallhonestyyoulooklikeachumpcomparedtomostseriouspeople(dont
worryIdotoo).YouhavecomethisfarsoIcanassumeyouareinterestedingoingfurther.Trigonometry
isournextstopandwillbethemostusefulofallmathyouhavelearnedsofar.
TRIGONOMETRY:

TRIGONOMETRYAGREEKWORDWHOSELITERALTRANSLATIONISTRIANGLEMEASURE.YOUCANEXPECTTO
SEEALOTOFTRIANGLES.ANYGEOMETRYYOUNEEDFORTHESTUDYOFTRIGONOMETRYISCOVEREDIN

COORDINATEGEOMETRYINYOURALGEBRA2BOOK.OFCOURSEYOUCANALWAYSREADORSTUDYTHE
GEOMETRYOFTRIANGLESFROMONEOFTHEBOOKS.THISISWHERETHEFUNBEGINS.THISISWHERETHE
BOOKSILEARNEDFROMSTOP.BUTTHEBOOKIHAVEINCLUDEDISVERYVERYCLOSETHEBOOKILEARNED
FROM.IFYOUWOULDLIKETOKNOWTHEBOOKIAMLEARNINGFROMITISALGEBRAANDTRIGONOMETRYBY
MICHEALSULLIVAN.(ITISINEBOOKFORMATONTHEWEB.IFYOUDOGETTHISBOOK,JUSTSTARTATCHAPTER
7ANDWORKTOTHEENDOFCHAPTER9,WORKINANYOTHERSECTIONSYOUWANTTO.PERSONALLYIDONOT
RECOMMENDTHISBOOK,IACTUALLYTHINKTHEEBOOKINCLUDEDISBETTERIOFTENREFERREDTOTHEEBOOK
WHEREMYBOOKFAILEDTOEXPLAIN.)THEMAINBOOKYOUWILLUSEISALGEBRAANDTRIGONOMETRY.
BASICALLYFORTHISBOOKITISSTRAIGHTFORWARD.STARTATCHAPTER5ANDWORKTOTHEENDOF
CHAPTER7,DOINGALLEXERCISES.MAKESURETOCOMPLETETHESKILLMAINTENANCESECTIONS.A
WONDERFULFEATUREOFTHISBOOKTHATWILLGOALONGWAYFORYOU.YOUMAYSKIPTHESTUPIDFILLIN
THEBLANKSECTIONS.ONEBOOKTHATIREALLYWANTEDTOINCLUDEWASGELFAND'STRIGONOMETRYBOOK.
BUTMYSCANNERHASJUSTBROKE.THEBOOKISVERYCHEAPONLYABOUT$20USD.THISBOOKISNOTAS
HARDASHISALGEBRABOOK,BUTSTILLAVERYGOODBOOK.IRECOMMENDYOUBUYTHEBOOK.THEREWILLBE
FUTUREREVISIONSOFTHISTORRENTANDGELFANDSTRIGBOOKWILLBEINCLUDEDINTHEM,BUTFORNOW,I
APOLOGIZE.
Thetwootherebooks,areincludedforreference.Sometimesyoumaynotunderstandthemainebook,
gettingadifferentexplanationfromtheotherbooks(allofwhichareexcellent)mayhelpalot.Starton
Gelfand'sbookTrigonometrywheneveryoufeeltheneed.IstarteditafterIlearnedtrigonometry.AndI
probablylikeditmorebecauseofthat.

ItmayseemlikeIwasbeinglazyhere,buttrigonometryisprettystraightforward,especiallyconsidering
thatmanytextbooksIlookedat,followanalmostidenticalcurriculum.Thereisalsospherical
trigonometry,whichwilldealmorewithspheresandhyperbolictrigonometricfunctions.

Geometry:
TOBEHONEST,IDONOTHAVEAPLANFORGEOMETRY.THISISFORGOODREASON,AREASONWHICHOPPOSES
THEAMERICANHIGHSCHOOLCURRICULUM,NOTOUTOFDEFIANCE,BUTOUTOFCHOICEANDPRACTICALITY.I
HAVENEVERFORMALLYLEARNEDGEOMETRY.THOUGHIHAVESTUDIEDPARTSOFIT,IHAVENEVERWORKED
THROUGHABOOKOFGEOMETRY.YOUAREGIVENACHOICEHERE.IWILLSEETOITTHATIFYOU,CHOOSETO
LEARNIT,YOUHAVEEXCELLENTBOOKSTOREADFROM.IHAVEINCLUDE4BOOKS.THEFIRSTISBASIC
GEOMETRYBYBIRKHOFFANDBEATLEY.THISISANAMUSINGBOOK,WRITTENINAUNIQUESTYLE,BUTISSTILL
VERYGOOD.IHAVELEARNEDMUCHFROMITANDICONTINUETODOSOWHENEVERIWISHTOKNOWMORE
ABOUTACERTAINGEOMETRICCONCEPT.THEOTHERTWOAREKISELEV'SGEOMETRYBOOKIANDII.BOTH
LEGENDARYRUSSIANGEOMETRYTEXTBOOKSTHATWITHSTOODTHETESTOFTIME,(OVERAHUNDREDYEARS)
ANDCONTINUESTOBEUSEDTHROUGHOUTRUSSIA.BOTHOFTHESEBOOKSHAVEONLYRECENTLYBEEN
ADOPTEDINTOENGLISH.THEYAREBOTH,VERYCLEAR,VERYCONCISE,ANDVERYGOODBOOKS.THELAST
BOOKISEUCLIDSELEMENTS.ITISONEOFTHEOLDESTKNOWNTEXTBOOKSINHISTORY.ITISTHEBEST
SELLING/MOSTPRINTEDBOOKINTHEHISTORYOFMANKINDNEXTTOTHEBIBLE.ELEMENTSISSIMPLYA
COLLECTIONOFTHEOREMSANDPROOFS,SOMEOFTHESETHEOREMSHAVEEVENBEENPROVENTOBEWRONG
WHILEOTHERCOULDREQUIRESOMEPOSTDOCTORALSTUDY.THISBOOKISINCLUDEDASAFORMALITY,BUT
ALSOARESOURCE.
YOUMAYSEEMCONFUSEDHERE,ANDIDONTBLAMEYOU.IWILLTELLYOUWHYIAMGIVINGYOUA
CHOICEHERE.INEVERLEARNEDGEOMETRYBECAUSEINEVERHADANYINTERESTINIT.IOFCOURSECOULD

RECOGNIZETHEBASICSHAPES,ANDHADANELEMENTARYKNOWLEDGEOFTHESUBJECTLIKEMOSTPEOPLEDO.

ILEARNEDGEOMETRY,IMPLICITLY.WHENIWASLEARNINGTRIGONOMETRY,IASKEDANOTHERMYRIADTEAM
MEMBER(WHOISMUCHSMARTERTHANMEOFCOURSE)HOWDIDYOULEARNTRIGONOMETRY?HISANSWER
WASILEARNEDTRIGONOMETRY,IMPLICITLY.INEVERACTUALLYSTUDIEDIT.IJUSTPRETENDEDTOKNOWIT
ANDEVENTUALLYIDID.ASRIDICULOUSASTHATMAYSOUND,LEARNINGSOMEMATHEMATICSINDIRECTLYWILL
HAPPENINEVITABLY.NOBRANCHOFMATHEMATICSISCOMPLETELYISOLATED,THEYBORROWFROMEACH
OTHER.OVERTIMEYOUCANBECOMEACQUAINTEDENOUGHWITHANOTHERMATHEMATICALSUBJECTTOWHERE
YOULEARNIT.BUTTHEPROBLEMWITHLEARNINGGEOMETRYISTHATLIKEOTHERTHINGSYOUWILLLEARN
HERE,THEYWILLEVENTUALLYBERETAUGHTTHERIGHTWAY.EVENCALCULUSISRETAUGHTTHERIGHTWAY.
BUT,YOUWILLNOTNEEDAVASTKNOWLEDGEOFGEOMETRYTOGETTOTHEPOINTINYOURMATHEMATICAL
CAREERWHENYOUAREREADYTOLEARNGEOMETRYTHERIGHTWAY.INFACTYOUWILLBARELYNEEDMUCH
ATALL.THEONLYREASONKIDSUSEITINHIGHSCHOOLISBECAUSETHEYHAVEATESTTOPAST,NOTBECAUSE
ITISESSENTIALTOTHESTUDYOFHIGHERMATHEMATICS,ESPECIALLYATTHEHIGHSCHOOLLEVEL.IFYOU
CHOOSETONOTLEARNGEOMETRY,ANDRATHERWISHTOKNOWENOUGHTOGETBYUNTILYOUAREREADY
TOPROPERLYLEARNIT,THENYOUPROBABLYNEEDNOTTAKEANYACTION.IFYOUTHINKYOUDONOTKNOW
ENOUGHTOGETBY,THENISUGGESTYOUREADKISELEV'SGEOMETRYBOOKI.
WHERETOGOFROMHERE?
Iamnowonmy9thmonthofteachingmyselfmat.Itseemslikealongtimeago,butIstartedthisproject
only3monthsago.AlthoughIfeelIammanytimesmoreknowledgeableaboutmathematicsnow,the
purposeofprovidingastrongfoundationfortheselflearnedonlyseemsallthemoreimportantnow,than
iteverhas.Tospareanyfurthertalkofsomethingthatmaynotinterestyou,thereisaveryseriousmatter
Iwouldliketodiscussbeforeafinalgoodbye.Youmayhaveseenthatcalculusisnotincludedinthis
curriculum.Calculusisoftencalledthefirstencounterwithrealmathematics,amongotherthings,calculus
isvitaltonearlyallappliedsciences.(IsaynearlybutIcannotthinkofanappliedsciencethatdoesnot
usecalculus,norhaveIheardofone,butImsuretheyareoutthere.)Manyfieldsofmathematics,even
iftheyarenotdirectlyconcernedwithcalculus,usecalculusheavilyorborrowtheoremsfromcalculus.
Anymathematicianwhodidnotknowcalculuswouldbeatanincredibledisadvantageandhavemany
doorsclosedtohim.Lifewouldbeextremelydifficultforaprofessionalmathematicianthatdidnotknow
calculus,andImnotsureoneexists.Thetimehascomeforyoutomakeachoice.(Onasidenote,math
textbookscommonlyhavethesametitle,sotheyareusuallyreferredtobythelastnameoftheauthor.)
Therearetwocalculustextsthatareverypopular.ThefirstistheiconicCalculusbyMichaelSpivak.An
incrediblebookthatisextremelygood.Ihaveheardpeopledescribeitasbreathtakingandlegendary
usuallyaddingonethingssuchaslifechangingandeyeopening.Peopleoftensayingthingssuchas
IfyoudidnotlearncalculusfromSpivakthenyouitwrong.IfyoucompleteSpivaksbookthenallother
calculusbooksandcourseswillseemlikechildsplay.Thisisdifficulttest,agreattestofmental
endurance,andsheerdetermination.Thereisanotherpopularone,calledCalculusbyJamesStewart.
Thedifferencebetweenthetwocouldbestbesummedupwhenanothermyriadteammemberwas
explaintheverysamethingtome.

CompletingSpivakwillturnyouintoaman.Itwillhelpyougainanunderstandingofmathematical

conceptslikeneverbefore.Theproblemsare(literally)specificallydesignedtodothis.Thenthereis
Stewart.Stewarduseslotsofpictures,reusespictureswhenpossible,andincludesabunchof
unconvincingwavyhandexplanations,andthenthrowsathousandproblemsatyou.DontgetStewart,
Stewartwillmakeyougrowboobs.Spivak,willturnyouintoaman.
Aspeoplewholovemath,wewouldobviouslyrecommendyougoforSpivak.(Iamlearningformthis
bookmyself.Iwouldwriteaguideforthatbookbutyoucantbebabiedforever.)But,Stewartisnota
popuppicturebookofcalculus.,Stewartisbynomeansabadbook(itiswhencomparedtoalegend
likeSpivaksbook).Itispopularforareasonmindyou.Itistextinwhichonecanlearnaboutthesubject

from,andlearnitsufficientlywell.Butnotatextinwhichonecanunderstand,andlivethesubjectfrom.
Lastlythereisanotherbookcalled(guessthetitle)CalculusbyTomApostol.TomApostol'sbookis
anotherrigorousanddifficultbooklikeSpivak.TobehonestIhavenevermetanyonewhohasactually
learnedcalculusfromApostol,butIcansayitisaverywellrespectedtext,andlikeSpivak,willalso
condition,andtrainyou,aswellasteachyoucalculusinthefullsenseofthematter.SoIfyoufeelSpivak
isnotforyou,yetyoustillwishforaseriousandrigorousbook,thenIsuggestyoumaywanttotakea
lookatApostol'sbook.(ThoughIwilladdApostol'sbookisaround$150USDwhileSpivaksbookis
around$80USD.)
Whetheryouwishtotaketheredpillorthebluepillitisnotunderstatementtosaythatcalculusisthe
beginningoftherestofyourmathematicaljourney.After,andduringcalculus,problemsofconsiderable
interestwillbepresentedtoyou.Anditonlygetsmoreinterestingfromthereonout.AlthoughIwillnot
outlineyouwholestudyofundergraduatemathematics,becausesomeonealreadyhas.AndIhavelinked
(attheendofofthisparagraph)toanexcellentpagethatsgivessuggestionsfortextsfarbeyond
calculus.Eitherwaythisisit.Onceyouhavecompletecalculusfromarigorousbook,youarecertainly,a
personofveryconsiderabledeterminationwhichwillonlybeadmiredandrespected,frompeoplearound
you.Buttherearemanypeopleinyourposition,theywillnotadmireyou,fortheyshareyourmerit,but
theywillrespectyou.Congratulations,asyou'vecertainlyearnedsome.Icouldgoonandonbutyouare
probablytiredofreadingthis.AnythingIcouldtellyounowyouhavealreadyrealizedorhaveheard
before.AllIcansayisgoodbyeandgoodluck.

http://hk.mathphy.googlepages.com/puremath.htm

Resources:
Thistriestobecompletelyselfcontained,anditis.Butwhatworkedformemaynotwork100%foryou.
Youmayneedotherbooks,orresources.Herearesomeexecellentplacestohelpyou.
Reference:
http://www.wolframalpha.com/
http://www.purplemath.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/
http://academicearth.org/subjects/mathematics
Books:
FREE:
http://www.ebooksdirectory.com/
http://www.archive.org/index.php
http://cnx.org/
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikibooks:Mathematics_bookshelf
NonFree:
http://www.addebook.com/tech/category/mathematics
http://www.addebook.com/tech2/category/mathematics
http://www.ebookee.com/
http://avaxhome.ws/ebooks/science_books/math

AnothergreatresourceisIRC.Particularlyirc.freenode.org#math

SOMEOFTHESEBOOKSINCLUDEDAREFREEANDLEGALTODOWNLOAD.HEREISWHERETOGETTHEM.
ElementaryAlgebra:
TrigonometryCorral:
ExplainingLogarithmsUmbarger:
AlgebraandTrigonometryBettinger:
ATextbookofGeometryWentrich:

FundamentalsofMathematics:

http://cnx.org/content/col10614/1.2
http://mecmath.net/trig/
http://www.mathlogarithms.com/
http://www.archive.org/details/algebraandtrigon033520mbp
http://www.archive.org/details/textbookgeometry00wentrich
http://cnx.org/content/col10615/latest/

Credits:Iwouldhaveeventuallylearnedallthismathbymyself.Butifitwasn'tformyraid,I
wouldneverhavemadethistorrent.Thosearetheonlypeoplewhodeservethecredit.