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Marco
10 posts
Math books
Hi Casey,
the other night you mentioned you thought yourself math through books. Would you have any recommendation on which ones helped you? I find that Wikipedia and other online resources either assume too much prior knowledge or aren't as clear as some of the old books.

Many thanks,

Marco
Casey Muratori
801 posts / 1 project
Casey Muratori is a programmer at Molly Rocket on the game 1935 and is the host of the educational programming series Handmade Hero.
Math books
Hoo boy. That's reaching back a long long way :)

I learned linear algebra from Gilbert Strang's intro book. I learned calculus from Thomas and Finney. There was some good computation-oriented matrix book that I liked too but I can't remember what it was called at the moment... I'll have to check when I go to the office! I don't think it was Golub and Van Loan...

Off hand I don't remember a lot of other math books that were good. I had a lot, but a lot of them weren't good... I remember having to work out quaternions on my own because the books were awful - it took several years to really get it. There are better materials now.

The physics books at that time were terrible. Chris Hecker had to do a ton of reading and figuring things out, I remember. Nowadays there are much better references for computational physics than there were then - it's like night and day.

- Casey
Jim Shearer
6 posts
Math books
Strang's book is extra nice considering you can follow along with the course video lectures (free!) at MIT open courseware.
DJ
1 posts
Math books
Depending on what types of maths you want to learn, Chris Hecker's page that walks through some of his recommended resources for physics may be of interest. http://chrishecker.com/Physics_References
Andrew Bromage
183 posts / 1 project
Research engineer, resident maths nerd (Erdős number 3).
Math books
I quite like these old SIGGRAPH course nodes by David Baraff et al: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~baraff/sigcourse/
John Hyde
2 posts
Math books
This is the free digital textbook we use in my calculus class: http://www.whitman.edu/mathematic...tivariable/multivariable_2013.pdf
It's very readable and has good explanations. I don't know what math level you're at, but if/when you get to calculus this is a very good resource.

P.S. Calculus is awesome! ^_^
BlahBlah
6 posts
Math books
Gilbert Strang also has a nice calculus book that you can download for free.
Marco
10 posts
Math books
Thank you all for your replies! I will start digging into those resources soon and I'm sure I will come back with more questions :)
M. Symmes
1 posts
Math books
Edited by M. Symmes on
I know you are looking for books, and I too like to read over video most of the time, but have you checked out the khan academy resources? Its got a pretty robust math course with lots of challenges (which i find useful). If you haven't tried it, give it a whirl.
zoo
Zach
9 posts
Math books
Edited by Zach on
Reposted response I wrote on another thread:

My general recommendation is this for people who are looking to improve their math abilities:

Study linear algebra, and real analysis. This is THE place to really begin mathematics. (edit: these are both prerequisites to properly approach calculus and differential equations)

These two fields will lay down the algebraic, analytic, and logical foundation from which to build. Once you've waddled through these waters, you will emerge a different thinker, with a new appreciation for mathematics, and you'll be able to guide your own learning path moving forward.

To this end, I will go a step further and recommend www.amazon.com/dp/0387982582/?tag=stacko...20#reader_0387982582 (Chapters 1-5 most importantly), and www.amazon.com/dp/0387950605/?tag=stackoverfl08-20

note: I am a mathematician first.
Matt
4 posts
Math books
I know it's not used as much, but how about probability? I would really like to understand more about that side of math.
zoo
Zach
9 posts
Math books
Edited by Zach on
@Treechoper

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0521592712/?tag=stackoverfl08-20 if often cited as being good - but I have never read it.

http://www.amazon.com/Freunds-Mat...=UTF8&refRID=0J2TZAM654D150MB143C is often used in the introductory classes to probability and statistics. You probably only need the first 8 chapters here. I like this book for the same reasons most people dislike this book; it is extremely dry and to the point (It's a book on statistics! What do you expect). Note: this book is a mathematical book, and so prerequisites are knowledge of multivariable calculus, and familiarity with mathematical proofs.

Note. My specialty doesn't lie down the probability and statistics path of mathematics.

Note#2 (Unofficial) Books used in the first couple years of undergraduate are considerably expensive. While I love having a hard copy on my bookshelf, I wouldn't acquire a hard copy until after I've acquired a soft copy...at a...cheaper...price ;)
Patrick Lahey
67 posts
Math books
If you are interested in mathematics fundamentals (i.e. introduction to vectors, coordinate systems, etc...) then this book looks reasonable:

3D Math Primer for Graphics and Game Development by Fletcher Dunn, Ian Parberry

It is focused on 3D but it covers material that is necessary for 2D as well.

It was recommended here: Doom 3 BFG Source Code Review

It is available on safari online if you have a subscription - that is how I reviewed it.