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Free Maths Textbooks

Two sets of introductory books for free download.

The texts at FreeMathTexts.org by Alain Schremmer,

  • "start from the idea that, if mathematics - at least in the form most people are likely to have encountered - causes anxiety, most of the time this is due to the text: in the best cases this is because the text leaves so much to "go without saying" that the logic becomes invisible; in the worst cases this is because the text waters down the mathematical contents to the vanishing point so that there is no logic whatsoever to what's left which has become a bunch of disparate "topics".

  • "proceed from the fact that mathematics derives from the real world. For instance, logical consequence is nothing but a reflection of real-world causality and statements are true or false, not because some book says so, but because the real world makes them necessarily so."

    The texts are being developed as integral part of packages suitable for classroom use including Homeworks, Reviews, Exams, etc, in a form that makes it easy for the instructor to use. This is a work in progress but 'Reasonable Basic Algebra' is fully available now. Several other packages are in preparation and should be available before the end of the year.

    The other texts by David Santos are mostly complete and available at OpenMathsText.org:

    • "OpenMathsText.org is primarily dedicated to the specification, development, and dissemination of free, editable and downloadable mathematical texts aimed, mainly, at 'just plain folk.' "

    There is material on Arithmetic, Elementary Algebra, Probability, Calculus, Discrete Maths, Linear Algebra and Number Theory.

    • Introductory Maths Primer?

    The material in these textbooks is available under open licences and at least some of the content seems very suitable for self-learners starting off in maths. Would anyone like to assist in putting some sort of primer together as a useful contribution to the maths porthole?

    • By Dr Boss at 01/30/2008 - 21:37
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