Colin C. Adams

In Zombies and Calculus, math professor Craig Williams mistakes the first of zombie hordes for a chronically-late student, until that student starts trying to eat his former classmates. As the zombies destroy campus and attack anything that moves, professor Williams and his allies must use math to defend themselves.

You don’t actually need a calculus background for this book. Basic algebra and an interest in math applications is enough to follow the clear and straitforward explanations, and to enjoy the zombie-focused challenges. This is a modernized version of Zeno’s Paradoxes, little brainteasers imagining math concepts in daily life. The Greeks imagined speedy Achilles trying to overtake a hypothetical tortoise, but we prefer to imagine a bicyclist chased by zombies in a perfect circle.

Full review here… (mere)

In the beginning of the book, the author says it is written for someone with a year of calculus. I had some long ago. Luckily the intense math discussions are footnoted and reside in the appendix. It is easy to understand without a math background. Some of the concepts are well illustrated by zombies and some seem a stretch. The book would have been improved by better spacing between the math part of the zombie attacks. I do recommend it as anything that makes math interested should be congratulated.… (mere)

(5+ stars) This is THE BEST Calculus study guide out on the market! It is clear and thorough, and you will seriously ace your Calculus class if you read this book...I'm not kidding. The authors make the stuff fun, but not in that talking down to you cutesy way that makes you want to vomit. If you go to class and come home scratching your head about what the teacher was saying, just read the appropriate section in this book and you'll suddenly go "Wow! This makes perfect sense! Why the hell can't my teacher teach like this?!?" There is also another book in the series about the rest of Calculus which covers the second half of a year or so. I also highly recommend that book. Anyway, just get this book and read it. Calculus will make SO MUCH more sense! Even if you are an A student already, this will really cement the concepts in your brain enough so that you can turn around and teach other people what you've learned! I'm not a math geek, but I give this book 5 stars! And, yes, I did get an A in Calculus!… (mere)