CALCULUS….In the post below I noticed that a shocking number of my readers appear to have PhDs, and a non-shocking number have degrees of one kind or another in math, engineering, computer science or something related.
If you’re one of them, there’s a pretty good chance you learned calculus from Louis Leithold’s textbook, which was first published in 1968 and has so dominated the calculus scene since then that its publishers can get away with slapping the latest (seventh) edition with nothing more than the cryptic, text-messagey abbreviation “TC7.”
If you were a Leithold kid, you might be interested to know that Leithold died a few days ago, and as this story in the LA Times makes clear, he was a genuinely fascinating character. If the subject of calculus doesn’t instantly drive you to distraction or make you break out in hives, check it out.
