I really want to give this book 0 stars, but that is not an option.

  This book is very special. While it seems like it would be a great place to start learning Dif Eq, it fails even this basic task. The authors spend more (way too much) time describing the background to word problems instead of actually working through the problem. (In Chapter 2, one problem took up three pages. Two of them were text describing the problem and the author's views. The last page was another paragraph on how to solve it and then a graph. No Math!) When they do finally get around to working through an example, they gloss over it, skip steps, and make things up. They give too few examples and the examples they do give are basic. The problems in the chapters are more challenging and sometimes, for example in chapter 3 review, do not even cover subjects that are in the section or chapter. On several occasions, the authors try to be funny and write jokes into their very long winded explainations of nothing, but they come off as cocky.

  The authors assume you know some basic concepts such as how to draw a phase portrait, direction, and slope fields. However, these concepts are taught in Dif Eq. The authors on several occasions ask you to draw a phase portrait, but never actually, anywhere in the textbook, explain how this is done. I had to consult another text for the math behind the portraits. They also never explain how to acheive the x(t) and y(t) graphs for solutions in chapter 3. I figured this out through trial and error with my graphing calculator.

  If you do have to get this textbook for a class, I very highly recommend that you get the student solutions manual as well. While it doesn't show every odd problem, it does show a few more steps and the author's ideas of graphs and phase portraits. With the solutions manual I was able to deduce and back track my way through their problems. In the end, I ended up purchasing another text that was more example friendly and only opened this text to work through assigned homework problems. There are several errors, so be careful on what you actually copy.

  Bottom line. Do not purchase this book unless you absolutely have too. Then talk to your professor and let him or her know that this book is horrible and will only confuse students more than help. Our professor hates this book and is only using it because it was directed by the department.
I really want to give this book 0 stars, but that is not an option. This book is very special. While it seems like it would be a great place to start learning Dif Eq, it fails even this basic task. The authors spend more (way too much) time describing the background to word problems instead of actually working through the problem. (In Chapter 2, one problem took up three pages. Two of them were text describing the problem and the author's views. The last page was another paragraph on how to solve it and then a graph. No Math! ) When they do finally get around to working through an example, they gloss over it, skip steps, and make things up. They give too few examples and the examples they do give are basic. The problems in the chapters are more challenging and sometimes, for example in chapter 3 review, do not even cover subjects that are in the section or chapter. On several occasions, the authors try to be funny and write jokes into their very long winded explainations of nothing, but they come off as cocky. The authors assume you know some basic concepts such as how to draw a phase portrait, direction, and slope fields. However, these concepts are taught in Dif Eq. The authors on several occasions ask you to draw a phase portrait, but never actually, anywhere in the textbook, explain how this is done. I had to consult another text for the math behind the portraits. They also never explain how to acheive the x(t) and y(t) graphs for solutions in chapter 3. I figured this out through trial and error with my graphing calculator. If you do have to get this textbook for a class, I very highly recommend that you get the student solutions manual as well. While it doesn't show every odd problem, it does show a few more steps and the author's ideas of graphs and phase portraits. With the solutions manual I was able to deduce and back track my way through their problems. In the end, I ended up purchasing another text that was more example friendly and only opened this text to work through assigned homework problems. There are several errors, so be careful on what you actually copy. Bottom line. Do not purchase this book unless you absolutely have too. Then talk to your professor and let him or her know that this book is horrible and will only confuse students more than help. Our professor hates this book and is only using it because it was directed by the department.