Differential Equations Demystified Review
I read some of the other reviews before writing this, and -- with all due respect, etc. etc. -- I think some of the other reviewers are missing the point of the entire series (Demystified) books.
The book is intended as a short, pithy, introduction to the topic. It makes no pretense of providing in-depth coverage, either of theory, or of all possible topics. This series of books is intended to provide a survey of many, but not all, commonly used techniques in a field; and it is intended to provide relatively simple examples and exercises so that the self-teaching student can get his/her feet wet.
I've just finished two chapters (and skimmed the rest), and so far I'm very pleased with the level of the treatment. You do need some prior calculus background, but if you have that, the book should be easy to follow. My own background was undergraduate physics, and, years later, I've decided to brush up. The book provides excellent review, as well as introducing me to topics I never quite "got" back in college.
If you want in-depth theory, or more comprehensive coverage of various techniques, or more advanced and challenging examples/home work problems, *or* conditions for solubility, go buy a standard, 0 college textbook on DiffEQs. However, if you want an accessible, inexpensive, brief but not overly-brief treatment of the fundamental techniques of solving differential equations, this book is very good. (By the way, the book includes the basics for at least some partial differential equations, as well as ordinary differential equations.)
Is it perfect? No. There is one subsection, for example, on using DiffEQs to make the connection between Newton's laws and Kepler's laws, and that particular subsection is not entirely clear. But I can forgive an occasional rough spot in a book that is overall clearly written, and well-designed for the self-study student.
Differential Equations Demystified Features
Rating : 
Price : $19.95
Offer Price : $8.65
Overviews
Here's the perfect self-teaching guide to help anyone master differential equations, a common stumbling block for students looking to progress to advanced topics in both science and math.
Covers First Order Equations, Second Order Equations and Higher, Properties, Solutions, Series Solutions, Fourier Series and Orthogonal Systems, Partial Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, Numerical Techniques, and more.
Perfect for a student going on to advanced analytical work in mathematics, engineering, and other fields of mathematical science.
Customer Review
If you can understand this book, you probably don't need to read it in the first place. - Michael N. Murphy - Amherst, MA
I gave this book such a low rating because it falls way short of the expectations of its intended audience. This book is terrible choice for someone who knows nothing about differential equations and wants to teach themself. The examples and explanations and derivations are difficult to follow and not really any different from what you would find in a typical college textbook. I was hoping to find a book that explained differential equations in plain, simple English and avoided using jargon and confusing symbols. I was disappointed. The author also skips a lot of steps in the examples. The answers in the back of the book are not very well explained. The book is full of problems titled "Now you try" but the answers are not given. How am I supposed to know if I did it right? I feel that the author's mathematical formalism and usage of symbols was out of place. I see nothing wrong with explaining things using language like "now you take this thing here, and derive it, then multiply by this other over here... etc". If you can follow the author, you probably don't need this book in the first place. This book is no more user friendly than a typical 800 page textbook, just shorter and soft cover.
Greatly Underwhelmed - Herbert L Calhoun - Falls Church, VA USA
Except for the interesting treatment of Kepler's equations in chapter 2, there is not much to reccommend this version over others. This is a greatly stripped-down rehash of the standard fare: problems, exams and all. I was greatly underwhelmed. Demystification requires at the very least minimal discussions of some of the applications and the nature and utility of differential equations to other areas of mathematics. I found none of that here and thus expected a lot more. Instead of Demystification, it should just be called a "rehashed summary of differential equations."
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Apr 24, 2010 10:33:18
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