An Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations (Dover Books on Mathematics)

TO BE CLEAR: This is an introduction the the THEORY of ODEs, not to the application of ODEs. Uses analytic techniques (presumes you are at least exposed to analysis) and is proof based. There are some exercises and it assumes that you are able to be able to turn theory into practice - that is, that you can read a proof and not only be satisfied that it is valid but also that you will have an intuition and the tools necessary to turn theory into practice.When I was taking my undergraduate ODEs course I showed this to my professor to get his opinion. He said this was a very advanced text suited for study at the PhD level. This is a common thing in mathematics. There are many introductory texts that are very advanced. Be warned.Okay, with that said, I enjoyed this book thoroughly - way more than the over priced text we were using in the course (Kreyszig's Advanced Engineering Mathematics, weighing in at about 1000 pages and costing 200+ dollars). There was a lot of material covered in Kreyszig that was not covered in Coddington so one is not a replacement for another. However, one is certainly more enjoyable than the other :D

It is exactly as advertised. This book is easy to read and very informative.

I think that this book is excellent as a textbook for an Ordinary Differential Equations class. There are plenty of "compute-the-solution" exercises, but there are also a large amount of theoretical exercises. The book is very concise, but it is still legible. It is also very cheap, so students won't mind buying it :)I think that this book also works well when not used as a textbook. If you are using this to learn ODE's by yourself, you really need to do some of the exercises since they are essential to the book. I do think that it is $11 well spent, since it teaches all of the basics of ODE's.In terms of the topics covered, here they are:- Linear, homogeneous, nth-order equations with constant coefficients.- Linear, homogeneous, 1st and 2nd order equations with non-constant coefficients.- Linear, non-homogeneous, nth-order equations with constant coefficients.- Lienar, non-homogeneous, 1st and 2nd order equations with non-constant coefficients.- Solutions to ODEs with regular singular points.- Series solutions.- Existence and uniqueness to linear equations.- Non-linear first order equations.- Existence and uniqueness to first order equations.

The text used in my undergrad class on ODE left me with the impression that the area was a bunch of "just do this" methods, with no underlying rhyme or reason. Reading Coddington's text as a postgrad gave me an entirely new, and much more engaging view of the subject. His text makes the underlying theory and intuitive rationale for ODEs clear and comprehensible. If you want to really *understand* ODEs, rather than just crank solutions, check out this text.

I cannot provide a review based on the content of the book because I would have to do it after I finish reading my calculus books, something that is going to take a long time. But for now I will say that the book arrived fast and in excellent condition. Also, the script and examples are easy to read. All this for a very affordable price.

New book delivered quickly. Very good price on it.With that said I would recommend this book for people with already a general understanding of differential equations.The book for a new learn maybe a tad bit archaic.

No comment.

The text is easy to follow and very clear. My son attends a private catholic university and this purchase saved him a lot of money.

O livro tem uma abordagem interessante, bastante intuitiva, com um grupo de exercícios que ajudam bastante para fixar. É bem fechado em EDOs ,mesmo. Métodos de séries, para mim, foram discutidos de forma rápida. Mas há muitos tópicos abordados. Recomendo.

Un classique sans fioritures à la bourbaki

Sucha wonderful book

Ottimo testo introduttivo sulle ODE, scritto in modo chiaro e con numerosi esercizi e problemi con soluzione riportati alla fine del testo, (cosa assai utile per gli studenti o chi affronta le equazioni differenziali per la prima volta), più semplice ancora nell'esposizione anche se più elementare forse, l'equivalente sempre della Dover di Tenenbaum e Pollard (Ordinary Differential Equations)

This book is a very good introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations as it covers very well the classic elements of the theory of linear ordinary differential equations. Although the book was originally published in 1961, this 1989 Dover edition compares very well with more recent offerings that have glossy and plots/figures in colour. After all, the classic elements of the theory of linear ordinary differential equations have not change a lot since the early 20th century. I particularly enjoyed studying Section 11 of Chapter 2 on a special method for solving non-homogeneous equations with constant coefficients. That method is often called “ the method of annihilator” is quite efficient.