Calculus Made Easy
Calculus Made Easy by Silvanus P. Thompsonby Silvanus P. Thompson
Ranked 2 of 4 calculus textbooks by recommenders
People recommend it as an introduction to calculus that explains why calculus works instead of treating it like magic. One critic says they regret becoming dependent on it.
5 people recommended Calculus Made Easy by Silvanus P. Thompson in Hacker News comments and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
Summary written by Claude from 4 comments.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- mixed feelings
- 0
- warn against or regret it
- 1
The record
Recommended in 3 of 12 months
In 4 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 4 threadsNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- The biggest thread supplies 40% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 4 of the 6 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Explains why calculus works
“actually helped me to understand why calculus works, instead of just treating it like magic”
Comment from 26 Apr 2026 in “Free Textbook on Engineering Thermodynamics” Best introduction to calculus
“i haven't found better introduction to calculus than the 'calculus made easy' book”
Comment from 28 Dec 2025 in “Calculus for the Modern Engineer” Does the job well
“actually does the job well”
Comment from 23 Apr 2026 in “Fundamental Theorem of Calculus”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Regret becoming dependent on it
“I truly regret having become dependent on it.”
Comment from 2 Sep 2026 in “Mamdani bans AI in NYC schools”
Other calculus textbooks people recommend
The three most recommended other calculus textbooks, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calculusby James Stewart | 9 | 1 | 3 | 75% | 4 | — | — |
| Calculus Made Easyby Silvanus P. ThompsonThis page | 5 | 0 | 1 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
| Calculus for Mathematicians, Computer Scientists, and Physicistsby Daniel Flegg | 4 | 0 | 4 | 50% | 1 | — | — |
| Elementary Calculus: An Infinitesimal Approachby Keisler | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 6 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I truly regret having become dependent on it.”
“actually helped me to understand why calculus works, instead of just treating it like magic”
“actually does the job well”
“i haven't found better introduction to calculus than the 'calculus made easy' book”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.