AIM Open Textbook Initiative

The following book has met the evaluation criteria developed by the AIM Editorial Board.

Calculus for the Life Sciences: A Modeling Approach
  by James L. Cornette and Ralph A. Ackerman

Digital versions	pdf of complete text and individual chapters
Latex source	No, but instructors can get customized versions of selected chapters.
Exercises	Yes
Solutions	Yes
License	Creative Commons License for Non-Commercial Use

• Text for two semester course for students in the life sciences and social sciences
• Second half of the book can be used for a modeling course with differential equations for students who have had calculus.
• The book has been used in courses taught by the authors during its development.
• Print version available in two volumes for $9.94 and $8.27 plus shipping.
• For more information and to download

The book presents calculus in a problem-driven context; three problems are presented in the first chapter and followed throughout the book. The topics are well-chosen for the audience, including, for example, in depth treatments of difference equations and differential equations. At the same time, calculus concepts are developed in a serious fashion. There are also lots of homework problems.

The authors have written this book with the premise that the primary goal of calculus in this setting is to model living systems using differential and difference equations, and that the best way to motivate students in the life sciences is with actual problems and real data from experiments. Furthermore, the calculus courses for these students should have the depth similar to that of the usual course for physics, engineering, and mathematics students.