Generalised Textbook Summaries
Due to "Which VCE ___
insert maths subject___ textbook is the best?" thread appearing on AN every two weeks in the various Maths boards, here's a summary based on the general consensus to clear it up.
Maths Quest-
Explanations: Best explanations prior to exercises as it begins from a very basic level and explains concepts thoroughly and simply without too much mathematical jargon
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Questions: Questions are of a decent standard, mostly varying to easy -> VCAA standard. Very rare to see questions that are overly troublesome (some of which are actually typos).
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CAS: Books are updated with with the newest CAS OS (different versions exist for CASIO and TI-Nspire) as they are released
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eCopy: Available in *.pdf format
Essentials-
Explanations: Explanations can be confusing at times. Some don't go over basics making it tough to understand the more difficult concepts, and there is a fair bit of mathematical jargon in use too. Not ideal for the basic/average student.
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Questions: Questions are of a high standard. Many questions probe above the VCAA level giving the student a lot of depth.
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CAS: Books are updated with with the newest CAS OS (both calcs in the same book) as they are released, although releases seem to be slower than Maths Quest in this regard.
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eCopy: Available in *.pdf format
Heinemann VCE Zone-
Explanations: Explanations are fairly basic, but not as thorough as Maths Quest and Essentials. Very easy to understand though with not much mathematical jargon.
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Questions: Questions are fairly easy, with many below VCAA standard difficulty.
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CAS: Books are updated with with the newest CAS OS (both calcs in the same book) as they are released, although releases seem to be slower than Maths Quest in this regard.
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eCopy: Available in *.pdf format
Maths Dimensions-
Explanations: Explanations are very good. Very simply explained but a lot of depth is also covered. Not too much mathematical jargon.
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Questions: Questions are of a good standard. With the harder questions probing above VCAA level.
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CAS: Books are are not updated with with the newest CAS OS. New editions have not been released for some time.
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eCopy: Available in *.pdf format
James Stewart's Calculus 7th Edition (NOT a VCE text, but useful for spesh students wanting to broaden their knowledge of calculus)
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Explanations: Explanations are extremely good. One of the best calculus textbooks in the world. Appropriate level of mathematical jargon.
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Questions: Questions are of a high standard. Being a university textbook, questions are above VCAA level for the whole book.
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CAS: Minimal CAS content in terms of "CAS tips" (true mathematicians don't need a CAS

). To get the most out of the book, keep a CAS on hand but don't expect a walk-through like in VCE texts.
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eCopy: Available in *.pdf format (although not legally all the time...)
Summary?Depends on your level of maths:
- Advanced: Essentials all the way, only use other texts (most likely Maths Quest or Dimensions) to try out different styles of questions. For Spesh students, you may consider adding a bit of Stewart's into your study regime too (for fun)
- Average: Maths Quest, only use the other texts for more styles of questions
- Basic: Heinemann, if you're feeling comfortable, then approach the other texts
Hope that clears a lot of the problems
