Everyday Calculus
Oscar E. Fernandez, Everyday Calculus: Discovering the Hidden Math All Around Us (Princeton University Press, 2014)
Summary: This book will not teach you calculus. But in less than 120 pages it will showcase the way derivatives (mostly) and integrals (less attention given here) apply to your day-to-day existence. Consider, for instance, the cover image of rain splattering on an umbrella: why doesn’t rain kill us? Look out especially for the wide array of optimization examples.
Key Quote: “..in just a few pages we’ve used calculus to contemplate the ultimate fate of the universe and to estimate its age. The mere fact that there is a body o f knowledge that even allows us to think about such things continues to astound me.” - p. 114
Bottom Line: Read this book if you don’t know why you studied calculus.
