Quick Calculus is designed for you to learn the basic techniques of differential and integral calculus with a minimum of wasted effort, studying by yourself. It was created on a premise that is now widely accepted: in technical subjects such as calculus, students learn by doing rather than by listening. The book consists of a sequence of relatively short discussions, each followed by a problem whose solution is immediately available. One's path through the book is directed by the responses. The text is aimed at newcomers to calculus, but additional topics are discussed in the final chapter for those who wish to go further.

The initial audience for Quick Calculus was composed of students entering college who did not wish to postpone physics for a semester in order to take a prerequisite in calculus. In reality, the level of calculus needed to start out in physics is not high and could readily be mastered by self‐study.

The readership for Quick Calculus has grown far beyond novice physics students, encompassing people at every stage of their career. The fundamental reason is that calculus is empowering, providing the language for every physical science and for engineering, as well as tools that are crucial for economics, the social sciences, medicine, genetics, and public health, to name a few. Anyone who learns the basics of calculus will think about how things change and influence each other with a new perspective. We hope that Quick Calculus will provide a firm launching point for helping the reader to achieve this perspective.