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Zombies and Calculus
How can calculus help you survive the zombie apocalypse? Colin Adams, humor columnist for the Mathematical Intelligencer and one of today’s most outlandish and entertaining popular math writers, demonstrates how in this zombie adventure novel.
Zombies and Calculus is the account of Craig Williams, a math professor at a small liberal arts college in New England, who, in the middle of a calculus class, finds himself suddenly confronted by a late-arriving student whose hunger is not for knowledge. As the zombie virus spreads and civilization crumbles, Williams uses calculus to help his small band of survivors defeat the hordes of the undead. Along the way, readers learn how to avoid being eaten by taking advantage of the fact that zombies always point their tangent vector toward their target, and how to use exponential growth to determine the rate at which the virus is spreading. Williams also covers topics such as logistic growth, gravitational acceleration, predator-prey models, pursuit problems, the physics of combat, and more. With the aid of his story, you too can survive the zombie onslaught.
Featuring easy-to-use appendixes that explain the mathematics necessary to enjoy the book, Zombies and Calculus is suitable for recent converts to calculus as well as more advanced readers familiar with multivariable calculus.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
19 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 16, 2018
Today I will review a book about calculus.
That's right. Hell has officially frozen over.
Professor Craig Williams is teaching his regular calculus class at a small college. He thinks one of his students is simply stumbling into class late. But when he starts to eat the professor's star pupil, the professor realizes something is wrong. He and the other students run to an office to hide but quickly discovers that a homicidal coed is the least of their problem. a zombie plague has arrived. Someone must take the lead and who else is suited for that job if not the math professor.
Brad Pitt, eat your heart out. No, really. Eat your heart out.
Colin Adams' sweet little novel/calculus primer manages to tell a clever zombie tale and teach a difficult subject at the same time. This is the kind of textbook that should be assigned to reluctant students. Thanks to Colin Adams and the publisher, Princeton University Press (Yep, you heard that right), they can be entertained and befuddled at the same time. Professor Williams saves the day frequently by estimating zombie growth rates, determining the differential of zombie and human speed ratios and, my favorite, estimating the downward velocity needed to crush a zombie's skull. Professor Williams may be a nerd but he is a awesome nerd. However, it does take a little time for him and his colleagues and students to get into the swing of things...
...Which brings up the major strength of this zombie/math hybrid. It can be very funny. The author has an ear for the ludicrous and it adds a hint of satire to the story. Colin Adams is not above making fun of his own professorial idiosyncrasies...
Frankly, if I was rating this on story alone , I wouldn't rate it all that high. It's a somewhat average plot with no real frills..except humor and math smarts. And that is what elevates the book to the recommended stage. It is simply a very clever read that teaches while entertaining. The author makes a really smart move by extending some of the conversations into the appendixes thereby streamlining the story while giving those who need more math the chance to learn and digest. If I had a book like this when I went to college...well. ..I still would have gotten a C but I may not have whined about it so much.
Overall, it is a lot of fun. It is a nice bit of treacle to make the learning fun. Colin Adams deserves a hand simply for attempting this. It's icing on the cake that he succeeded so well.
But if I get one more calculus book in my review pile, I am going full zombie on the deliverer.
That's right. Hell has officially frozen over.
Professor Craig Williams is teaching his regular calculus class at a small college. He thinks one of his students is simply stumbling into class late. But when he starts to eat the professor's star pupil, the professor realizes something is wrong. He and the other students run to an office to hide but quickly discovers that a homicidal coed is the least of their problem. a zombie plague has arrived. Someone must take the lead and who else is suited for that job if not the math professor.
Brad Pitt, eat your heart out. No, really. Eat your heart out.
Colin Adams' sweet little novel/calculus primer manages to tell a clever zombie tale and teach a difficult subject at the same time. This is the kind of textbook that should be assigned to reluctant students. Thanks to Colin Adams and the publisher, Princeton University Press (Yep, you heard that right), they can be entertained and befuddled at the same time. Professor Williams saves the day frequently by estimating zombie growth rates, determining the differential of zombie and human speed ratios and, my favorite, estimating the downward velocity needed to crush a zombie's skull. Professor Williams may be a nerd but he is a awesome nerd. However, it does take a little time for him and his colleagues and students to get into the swing of things...
"Supposedly some janitor tried to eat a freshman.
I'm surprised we heard about that" said Gunderson. "I would have thought the Harvard administration would have tried to keep that hush-hush. A story like that can't help the alumni fundraising campaign".
...Which brings up the major strength of this zombie/math hybrid. It can be very funny. The author has an ear for the ludicrous and it adds a hint of satire to the story. Colin Adams is not above making fun of his own professorial idiosyncrasies...
"I was counting the seconds for Dan to fall. It took 2.5 seconds, which means he fell 16(2.5) - 100 feet. It's just a quick way to tell how far something falls.
"Did anyone tell you you're weird?"
"Yup. I relied, smiling. "Plenty of people."
Frankly, if I was rating this on story alone , I wouldn't rate it all that high. It's a somewhat average plot with no real frills..except humor and math smarts. And that is what elevates the book to the recommended stage. It is simply a very clever read that teaches while entertaining. The author makes a really smart move by extending some of the conversations into the appendixes thereby streamlining the story while giving those who need more math the chance to learn and digest. If I had a book like this when I went to college...well. ..I still would have gotten a C but I may not have whined about it so much.
Overall, it is a lot of fun. It is a nice bit of treacle to make the learning fun. Colin Adams deserves a hand simply for attempting this. It's icing on the cake that he succeeded so well.
But if I get one more calculus book in my review pile, I am going full zombie on the deliverer.
July 8, 2014
In Zombies and Calculus, math professor Craig Williams mistakes the first of zombie hordes for a chronically-late student, until that student starts trying to eat his former classmates. As the zombies destroy campus and attack anything that moves, professor Williams and his allies must use math to defend themselves.
You don’t actually need a calculus background for this book. Basic algebra and an interest in math applications is enough to follow the clear and straitforward explanations, and to enjoy the zombie-focused challenges. This is a modernized version of Zeno’s Paradoxes, little brainteasers imagining math concepts in daily life. The Greeks imagined speedy Achilles trying to overtake a hypothetical tortoise, but we prefer to imagine a bicyclist chased by zombies in a perfect circle.
You don’t actually need a calculus background for this book. Basic algebra and an interest in math applications is enough to follow the clear and straitforward explanations, and to enjoy the zombie-focused challenges. This is a modernized version of Zeno’s Paradoxes, little brainteasers imagining math concepts in daily life. The Greeks imagined speedy Achilles trying to overtake a hypothetical tortoise, but we prefer to imagine a bicyclist chased by zombies in a perfect circle.
December 25, 2014
This has to be one of the dumbest books I have ever had the displeasure to read. If your a fan of mathematics than this might turn you on, but otherwise it will make you want to smack the ever loving crap out of something.
Every character, but the dog I hated. Sure they had book smarts, but for common sense they had absolutely none. I would have broken out the champagne and cheered if all of them got eaten. In fact a few of them did and I smiled. Everything that happened the MC had to break it down in explanation by using calculus. Really? Do you think Rick stopped in the middle of a battle to discuss exponential growth with the group? The whole concept just seemed extremely silly. Not only did the zombies not really act like full zombies, but at one point two of them were having sex...Yeah ewww, is what I said to. The rest is just utter and complete ridiculousness that I won't bore you with. I'm just so glad to be done with this.
Every character, but the dog I hated. Sure they had book smarts, but for common sense they had absolutely none. I would have broken out the champagne and cheered if all of them got eaten. In fact a few of them did and I smiled. Everything that happened the MC had to break it down in explanation by using calculus. Really? Do you think Rick stopped in the middle of a battle to discuss exponential growth with the group? The whole concept just seemed extremely silly. Not only did the zombies not really act like full zombies, but at one point two of them were having sex...Yeah ewww, is what I said to. The rest is just utter and complete ridiculousness that I won't bore you with. I'm just so glad to be done with this.
September 17, 2014
I received this book for free through Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ First Reads.
Zombies and Calculus is about a teacher, Professor Williams, finding out about a zombie invasion when a late student who is now a zombie interrupts his class. He tries to get away from the college he is teaching at to get to his children who were sent home from school due to these undead circumstances.
This book was definitely fast paced and very informative too. I liked the fact that the author used math in explaining such concepts as zombie growth rates, zombie hibernation states, and human versus zombie outcomes.
While I do not have any calculus in my background which did leave to some head-scratching moments, the concepts were explained to where I could grasp the majority of what was being explained.
I feel that if a book like this was available when I was in high school I might have paid more attention in my math classes. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves zombies and/or math and also to people who enjoy reading something refreshing and original.
Zombies and Calculus is about a teacher, Professor Williams, finding out about a zombie invasion when a late student who is now a zombie interrupts his class. He tries to get away from the college he is teaching at to get to his children who were sent home from school due to these undead circumstances.
This book was definitely fast paced and very informative too. I liked the fact that the author used math in explaining such concepts as zombie growth rates, zombie hibernation states, and human versus zombie outcomes.
While I do not have any calculus in my background which did leave to some head-scratching moments, the concepts were explained to where I could grasp the majority of what was being explained.
I feel that if a book like this was available when I was in high school I might have paid more attention in my math classes. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves zombies and/or math and also to people who enjoy reading something refreshing and original.
July 2, 2020
With a title like "Zombies & Calculus," you know you're in for a good time! Or at least you are if, like me, you're a nerd for both mathematics and the undead. And that's really the crux of the matter. If you're the kind of person who finds the title intriguing, you're the kind of person who will enjoy this book. If, on the other hand, you're not both a math person and a zombie person, it's probably not for you.
The thing if it is, this isn't a great book by most literary standards. The plot is fairly standard and, while it's well-written, there's really nothing particularly new about it on the zombie front. It's about characters trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. The things they do in that pursuit are all fairly standard. What sets this book apart is the inclusion of mathematics. On one level, this leads to a 200+ page string of ludicrous situations in which the characters take the time out of their quest for survival to explain differential equations to each other. On the other hand, as ludicrous as those conversations are if you're looking for anything resembling realism, they're also the source of the book's charm. And, though things might not work out well for people who attempt such things in the real world, anyone who has spent a lot of time in a university math department knows very well there are at least *some* faculty members who would respond in exactly this manner.
Admittedly, characterization in this book is minimal and sometimes cartoonish, which arguably decreases the book's literary value, but once again, the characters will seem familiar to anyone who's spent enough time in academia.
In terms of mathematics, this isn't the book to read if you want to learn calculus from scratch (as the author acknowledges in the introduction). Yes, there's an appendix that will quickly run you through the basics, and that's enough to explain what the book is talking about or to refresh your memory, but it's not enough to actually teach you very much about how to solve problems in calculus. The author says you should have at least a year of calculus under your belt before reading this book. I'd say that's a good prerequisite on average; however, I'd also say that if you just want to read the book, you probably don't need even quite that much mathematics, but if you want to really follow along, you should probably also have an introductory course in differential equations under your belt.
At the end of the day, this isn't a great zombie novel, nor is it a great math book, but it does end up being a good blend of the two. I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a quick and amusing read, and I'd also recommend it as a supplementary (but not a primary) text for calculus students wanting to see a bit more of how what they're studying could be applied in "real world" situations. After all, the streets may not be full of zombies, but the mathematical concepts covered (pursuit problems, logistic growth, predator-prey models, etc.) are all drawn from real-world applied mathematics.
The thing if it is, this isn't a great book by most literary standards. The plot is fairly standard and, while it's well-written, there's really nothing particularly new about it on the zombie front. It's about characters trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. The things they do in that pursuit are all fairly standard. What sets this book apart is the inclusion of mathematics. On one level, this leads to a 200+ page string of ludicrous situations in which the characters take the time out of their quest for survival to explain differential equations to each other. On the other hand, as ludicrous as those conversations are if you're looking for anything resembling realism, they're also the source of the book's charm. And, though things might not work out well for people who attempt such things in the real world, anyone who has spent a lot of time in a university math department knows very well there are at least *some* faculty members who would respond in exactly this manner.
Admittedly, characterization in this book is minimal and sometimes cartoonish, which arguably decreases the book's literary value, but once again, the characters will seem familiar to anyone who's spent enough time in academia.
In terms of mathematics, this isn't the book to read if you want to learn calculus from scratch (as the author acknowledges in the introduction). Yes, there's an appendix that will quickly run you through the basics, and that's enough to explain what the book is talking about or to refresh your memory, but it's not enough to actually teach you very much about how to solve problems in calculus. The author says you should have at least a year of calculus under your belt before reading this book. I'd say that's a good prerequisite on average; however, I'd also say that if you just want to read the book, you probably don't need even quite that much mathematics, but if you want to really follow along, you should probably also have an introductory course in differential equations under your belt.
At the end of the day, this isn't a great zombie novel, nor is it a great math book, but it does end up being a good blend of the two. I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a quick and amusing read, and I'd also recommend it as a supplementary (but not a primary) text for calculus students wanting to see a bit more of how what they're studying could be applied in "real world" situations. After all, the streets may not be full of zombies, but the mathematical concepts covered (pursuit problems, logistic growth, predator-prey models, etc.) are all drawn from real-world applied mathematics.
May 11, 2017
I like zombies and I like calculus, so I thought I'd give this book a try. I was disappointed, which probably should have been expected.
The writing was very blah. I didn't find it very immersive. I couldn't connect to any of the characters. It read very much like a typical "zombie movie". It added nothing to the genre. There was also unneeded romance which definitely made the book lose points for me. The math in it was ok. I guess it was nice to see how calculus can be applied to a zombie apocalypse. The only really redeeming quality was that the dog didn't die. Also, for a book written by the humorist, it wasn't very funny.
But it could be useful in an educational perspective. If you're having trouble learning calculus and you like zombies, then check out this book I guess. It just isn't good for quality casual reading.
The writing was very blah. I didn't find it very immersive. I couldn't connect to any of the characters. It read very much like a typical "zombie movie". It added nothing to the genre. There was also unneeded romance which definitely made the book lose points for me. The math in it was ok. I guess it was nice to see how calculus can be applied to a zombie apocalypse. The only really redeeming quality was that the dog didn't die. Also, for a book written by the humorist, it wasn't very funny.
But it could be useful in an educational perspective. If you're having trouble learning calculus and you like zombies, then check out this book I guess. It just isn't good for quality casual reading.
June 4, 2020
3.5 stars
I find the whole idea really cool. This book really helped me to see calculus in another light and appreciate it more. It inspired me to read more about the chase problems.
I think the best way to read this book is to read it as a very long math problem, not so much as a novel.
I find that the characters are very one-dimensional and I didn't care much about them. I just finished the book and I don't think I can name three of them.
I find the whole idea really cool. This book really helped me to see calculus in another light and appreciate it more. It inspired me to read more about the chase problems.
I think the best way to read this book is to read it as a very long math problem, not so much as a novel.
I find that the characters are very one-dimensional and I didn't care much about them. I just finished the book and I don't think I can name three of them.
March 22, 2022
Zombies and calculus has a fairly standard plot and althought it is well-written, there wasn't much a beginning middle and end. This book is about characters trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. The characters are sometimes cartoonish and minimal, which decreases the book's literary value. The book isn't to read if you want to learn calculus from scratch. It quickly runs you through basics but that's it. Overall, the book is boring.
May 25, 2019
Not good. A surge of Zombie and mathematics publications appeared after a paper by a group of Canadian mathematicians was published in 2012. One of the authors of the paper Robert Smith? (yes the question mark is part of his name) published a much better mathematically oriented book (Mathematical Modelling of Zombies) but with less hype and screen time as this guy.
Go figure it pays to be loud.
Go figure it pays to be loud.
December 12, 2019
I found this book funny. It’s quite Calculus heavy, but for people who know Calculus, it’s a semi-plausible zombie story. I appreciated the two appendices: one delved even more into the Math, for the super nerdy and the other gave a good summary of the Math needed to understand the Math in the novel.
I’m not normally a zombie story person, but i enjoyed this book.
I’m not normally a zombie story person, but i enjoyed this book.
October 5, 2018
It's the Zombie apocalypse. I'm waiting for the zombies to move on to easier target while I cower in my safe room. What better time to learn about calculus! Very fun book and a good refresher to remind me of what I've forgotten when my daughter asks about the chain rule for derivation.
March 7, 2021
It’s not a very realistic story but it’s an amazing integration of calculus and fiction! The content is ideal for people with varying levels of mathematical preknowledge: beginners to experts. Highly recommend it if you’re looking for a fun fictional take on calculus and it’s applications!
July 20, 2017
Humorous and informational. A lovely mix of fiction and non-fiction. A perfect appetizer for both zombies apocalypse and science believer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It’s been 10+ years since I’ve taken calculus so this was a fun review. I would have enjoyed if there had been sample problems to work out as well.
December 23, 2020
It was a little too much calculus.
June 8, 2021
Too much calculus, not enough zombies.
December 9, 2023
I like math. I'm an engineer. I like the idea of this book. I don't like the execution.
This was just a very long calculus word problem with a plot.
This was just a very long calculus word problem with a plot.
February 27, 2024
How do I make kids think calculus is COOL and FUN?
by writing a mediocre zombie story with tangential (heh) bits of calculus.
by writing a mediocre zombie story with tangential (heh) bits of calculus.
October 12, 2016
Zombies aren't nearly as scary as calculus (and this is really a math teaching device as opposed to being meant just for reading).
January 1, 2016
A fun book to end a two semester calculus sequence
This book is a perfect book to use in the last two weeks of a two-semester calculus sequence where it is time to demonstrate some real-world applications of calculus and rekindle the interest of the students. It opens with a calculus class being interrupted by the appearance of a zombie with an overriding urge to consume human flesh and create even more zombies. The narrator is a professor of mathematics at Roberts College, a small liberal arts college in Westbridge, Massachusetts, and it is his class that is interrupted.
As the zombie menace spreads, the professor uses calculus in order to extract and understand critical information such as how fast the disease will spread, the path to run if you want to avoid a single zombie, the average life span of a zombie, and how rapidly a zombie will cool to the point where they will be inert.
A great deal of differential and integral calculus is reviewed in the course of what is essentially a novel about understanding and surviving a zombie apocalypse. This book is existing proof that mathematics can be presented in a fun and engaging manner.
This book was made available for free for review purposes and this review also appears on Amazon
This book is a perfect book to use in the last two weeks of a two-semester calculus sequence where it is time to demonstrate some real-world applications of calculus and rekindle the interest of the students. It opens with a calculus class being interrupted by the appearance of a zombie with an overriding urge to consume human flesh and create even more zombies. The narrator is a professor of mathematics at Roberts College, a small liberal arts college in Westbridge, Massachusetts, and it is his class that is interrupted.
As the zombie menace spreads, the professor uses calculus in order to extract and understand critical information such as how fast the disease will spread, the path to run if you want to avoid a single zombie, the average life span of a zombie, and how rapidly a zombie will cool to the point where they will be inert.
A great deal of differential and integral calculus is reviewed in the course of what is essentially a novel about understanding and surviving a zombie apocalypse. This book is existing proof that mathematics can be presented in a fun and engaging manner.
This book was made available for free for review purposes and this review also appears on Amazon
September 22, 2016
Don't go into this one thinking you're going to be reading a straight up horror, zombie story. This really is a vehicle to show how math works in the real world (for those who don't think it has applications, you're wrong). Note that it is put out by a university press, so yes, a teaching tool of sorts.
Dr. Craig Williams is a calculus prof whose class gets interrupted by a zombie student killing another student. Soon the whole university is on the run and only pockets of non-infected students and faculty are left. Craig along with some of his students, his former lover and his rival Gunderson (whom you'll wish to get eaten) have to figure out how long it takes for a bite to get infected, how fast this will spread, how fast can a zombie run etc etc.
Yes, all those things that need math. It gives you a lot of math (calculus and otherwise) and if you want more math just follow the bloody hand prints to the appendix and it continues there.
It's rather clever in a way. It's not great literature but it's not trying to be. It's certainly a fun tool to get students to think in mathematical terms as Craig tries to get home to save his kids and later all of humanity from this lab-generated zombie virus.
The most scary part of course was the calculus.
Dr. Craig Williams is a calculus prof whose class gets interrupted by a zombie student killing another student. Soon the whole university is on the run and only pockets of non-infected students and faculty are left. Craig along with some of his students, his former lover and his rival Gunderson (whom you'll wish to get eaten) have to figure out how long it takes for a bite to get infected, how fast this will spread, how fast can a zombie run etc etc.
Yes, all those things that need math. It gives you a lot of math (calculus and otherwise) and if you want more math just follow the bloody hand prints to the appendix and it continues there.
It's rather clever in a way. It's not great literature but it's not trying to be. It's certainly a fun tool to get students to think in mathematical terms as Craig tries to get home to save his kids and later all of humanity from this lab-generated zombie virus.
The most scary part of course was the calculus.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2014
If this book had been used in conjunction with my Calculus textbook back in 1he 1980's, maybe I would have done better than C's. Then again, maybe not. Colin Adams sets his fictional tale in a small New England college town where a Math professor uses calculus and force to survive a zombie outbreak on campus (the outbreak originated in Boston and spread). Interestingly, the author incorporates the calculus formulas and graphs in the storyline (having detailed formula in an appendix). Not often do you have characters plot the speed of a zombie versus a human on a graph to judge the risk of trying to escape. That said, the storyline is a bit contrived, but written well. It can be read as horror story and breeze over the math formulas or it can be read as a horror story where you check the math to see if the characters are right. The author has kindly provided a bibliography of the sources he used. Read and enjoy!
July 9, 2015
A fun little book imagining a zombie outbreak on a campus. The main character, a math professor, copes by using his skills to model this weird new world. Zombie pursuit and vectors, exponential growth of infections, etc. My rusty calculus is good enough to just barely follow the processes once we hit the midpoint but it's still a fun, light read if you skim over the math. If you have any love at all for math and analytical reasoning you'll enjoy the way they examine the problems and figure mathematical representations.
December 19, 2014
An entertaining little review of calculus. (It probably would be a fun aside for people who are taking calculus as well, but I don't think it would be great for someone who hasn't had some exposure to it before. But hey, maybe I'm wrong). It's not, however, great writing. Far from it. It takes a handful of 'real-world' examples, and decorates them up with some zombie scenarios to make them memorable and easier to visualize.
September 6, 2015
It's always interesting to watch at which point author is not able anymore to keep away from complex math in a story.
In this book it's a dramatic difference � the zombie plot is kind of funny, and then BAM! You are deep in formulas and graphs.
So although the book is in unusual and interesting, I cannot agree that its goal (to give a smooth way to learn calculus) is achieved.
In this book it's a dramatic difference � the zombie plot is kind of funny, and then BAM! You are deep in formulas and graphs.
So although the book is in unusual and interesting, I cannot agree that its goal (to give a smooth way to learn calculus) is achieved.
November 27, 2014
I enjoyed this novel. I want to make it required reading for my AP Calculus class. I believe that the applications answer a lot of my own questions of when something is useful... I enjoyed that you could skim the math and still follow it. I also enjoy a decent zombie story. I once had a discussion in class where would be a safe place during a zombie apocalypse.
December 20, 2014
Can calculus help you survive the zombie apocalypse? Perhaps, if we understand how zombies point their tangent vectors directly at their prey. I am not sure why this is classed as fiction, considering how much of it is devoted to long mathematical analyses by the characters as they pause while fighting their way out of the trap.
February 11, 2015
This was super cute! I mean, I didn't get it, but I really enjoyed it. When you read the introduction and dude says you need to have at least a year of calculus, go ahead and take him seriously. A wonderful, entertaining way to think about how mathematics works in every aspect of your life.
February 13, 2015
I give this 2 stars. One for originally, really zombies and calculus together in one book, could life get any worse. Another star for the fact it was a really short and quick book to read, I don't think I could take much more. Some thing just don't work!
May 24, 2015
This is very funny. A fun and exciting way to understand how calculus helps us study everyday things.
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