A light hearted look at how calculus is relevant to society in a variety of contexts, the Calculus diaries is not intended to be a calculus text book. So do not expect lots of equations and solutions to your maths coursework! Rather the purpose is to introduce readers unfamiliar with calculus, encourage those who may have avoided it , and reassure people studying calculus of it's utility and wide scope. I feel this is achieved in an entertaining manner throughout, through the use of plenty of anecdotes and history of science facts.

1. A light hearted look at how calculus is relevant to society in a variety of contexts, the Calculus
diaries is not intended to be a calculus text book. So do not expect lots of equations and solutions to
your maths coursework! Rather the purpose is to introduce readers unfamiliar with calculus,
encourage those who may have avoided it , and reassure people studying calculus of it's utility and
wide scope. I feel this is achieved in an entertaining manner throughout, through the use of plenty
of anecdotes and history of science facts.
Readers are reeled in from the start by Jennifer wit, and so the book is a great way to encourage
even the most maths phobic to consider the importance of mathematics to society and helps quell
some of the stereotypes of maths and it's study. An array of common real world and not so common,
or even real world (zombie apocalypse), but interesting uses of calculus is presented and discussed.
The calculus discussed is humanised through
While not much detail of actual calculus equations are given in the main text, maths enthusiasts, and
secondary, further and higher students of calculus should still find it useful in reinforcing their
decisions to study the subject. Moreover the writing style is a great example to those learning to
communicate their scientific (and history of science) study, and beyond to researchers developing
their own scientific communication and programmes in the subject. Appendices are provided to
further elaborate the calculus discussed, and give references to further sources too. -Indeed this
reminds me of an anecdote Professor Peter Kalmus told me about Professor Stephen Hawking's
publisher to avoid mathematical equations in popular science books, on the basis that each would
reduce readership by about a half (is this an equation itself ?) -Professor Hawking then only
included two.
Robin Ravi Gajria
IMA London Branch Chair
Twitter @robinravi @appliedmathslon
Facebook robinravilearn