Tag Archives: differential equations

February 13, 2008, 9:55 am

Tuesday quick shots

Work has been more active than usual lately with some protracted Promotion and Tenure Committee business on top of a 14-hour course load this semester, so pardon the light blogging. I do have a few quick thoughts:

No, I didn’t watch the Jericho season 2 premiere last night yet. 10:00 Eastern is way past my bedtime. I do have it on the DVR at home, though, so once the kids are in bed tonight I’ll be digging in. The entire first episode is online already, so maybe I’ll get a headstart if I ~~ignore enough of my work~~ get a break today.
I’ve been spending my post-kids-in-bed time at home this week watching season 1 of LOST at ABC’s website. Corey at Ubiquitously notes the huge quality difference between ABC’s online video player, which streams HD video full-screen, and CBS’s Innertube player. ABC’s version is really very impressive, with a crisp, DVD-quality presentation, non-irritating…

November 9, 2007, 12:04 pm

I heart 60's-era math books

By Robert Talbert

I’m teaching differential equations next semester, and I’m changing the course in some fundamental ways since the last time I taught it — so much so that I needed a new book for the course. (I’ve ruled out the textbook-free option for this class for reasons I explained here.) After some searching, I ended up going with the Boyce/DiPrima text. But I gained a lot of respect, and found a lot of affection, for Tenenbaum and Pollard’s classic text on the subject from 1963.

First of all, the textbook is a giant brick of a book, loaded with great exposition, clear examples, and challenging problems. And being a Dover paperback, it’s only a measley $16.47 through Amazon. But the thing I love about it, which is something I love about all math and science books from this era, is its tone — clear, precise, tough-minded, and no-nonsense. And yet inviting and enjoyable at the same time. (Which…