Textbook  

The textbook for Math 131 (Calculus I) and Math 132 (Calculus II) in fall 2010 will be Single Variable Calculus: Concepts and Contexts (4e = fourth edition) by James Stewart. This will also be the text used for Math 132 course in spring 2011. 

It will be available in textbook department of the W.U. Campus Store.  If you prefer, the Campus Store will also have a special bundle that contains both the textbook and the Student Solutions Manual at a price that is less than the two items purchased separately. 

The Student Solutions Manual is optional (the Bookstore has labelled the manual as "Recommended" but "Optional" is the word we'd prefer.)  Answers to odd-numbered exercises are already included in the back of the textbook, but often the answer shown will just be a number, letting you see if you "got the right answer."  The Student Solutions Manual has expanded solutions, with some of the details, for the odd-numbered exercises. 

Having a Solutions Manual of your own might be convenient, but you can also save money by sharing one.  Like the textbook, the Solutions Manual covers both Calculus I and Calculus II, and there will probably be over 600 students taking one of those courses this fall, perhaps even your roommate.  (You’ll probably have time to compare notes on the courses you're each planning to take before you buy books.)  In addition, there may be students around who have a Student Solutions Manual from previous years -- it may be for the previous edition of the text, but I'll bet that at least 50% or more of the solutions you'd want to look at will be in an older version of the Solutions Manual.

The Campus Store will also give you an option to rent the textbook or Student Solutions Manual for the fall 2010 semester.  You will need to use your own judgment about whether or not this is a good deal—it it will certainly cost less than purchasing a book, but if you buy the book it will probably have some resale value at the end of the fall semester.  We would not suggest renting the book if you expect to take both Math 131 and Math 132. The rental fee for two semesters would probably not be much less than the purchase price and, at the end, you have no book to resell (or keep).   

The Campus Store should be able to fill you in on all the pricing options; the Math Department doesn't have that information available.

Just buying what you want at the Campus Store is the simplest thing to do.  But, if you prefer, you can also try to buy or rent the book online.  One online source is right from the publisher: go to CengageBrain and search for your selection by ISBN number 

Note:  the bundle containing both the textbook and Student Solutions Manual is only available through the Campus Store.  

According to the publisher's WU representative, "Shipping is free and should be delivered within 3-5 business days. Our warehouse is located in Kentucky, so most deliveries to the St. Louis area are approx. 3 days. We say up to 5 just to be on the safe side."   

You could also try purchasing at Amazon or some other seller -- but in that case, you probably want to get the correct edition by checking the ISBN.  The preceding editions of this text are not dramatically different, but the latest edition has a few sections merged and re-numbered, as well as some changes additions to (and therefore re-numbering of) some problem sets. You could probably work around those differences, but it might cause you some annoyance.    

Calculators   

You can use any calculator like when you're studying on your own or doing homework, but you should not become overly dependent on your calculator.

For tests and quizzes in Math 131 and Math 132, fall 2010:  the only calculators allowed for tests and quizzes will be simple scientific calculators (to do arithmetic, calculate numbers like sin(.3), or log(1.7), etc.)  If you don't already have a simple scientific calculator, you can probably buy one for $20 (or less).  No graphing calculators or calculators with symbolic manipulation capabilities will be permitted on tests and quizzes.

Separate course syllabi for Math 131 and Math 132, with much more information, will be posted on this web page near the beginning of classes.