MonkeyEconomist Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Are there any math for economics books that are almost entirely self-contained? I have only taken a semester of calculus and have no exposure to multivariate Calc or linear algebra. Do any of the math for econ books not assume a working knowledge of those topics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thagzone Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I think the best answer is that, if you haven't taken multivariable calculus, linear algebra, or anything beyond that yet, you should probably learn that material independently and thoroughly before worrying about math for economics books. Math for economics books shouldn't be used as a substitute for those foundational topics, but rather a refresher/reference and a source of particular applications that arise most often in economics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyEconomist Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 Hypothetically speaking, if I'm not trying to get into grad school, and just want to learn the math necessary for economics and to be able to have a limited ability to understand the research literature, are there any math for econ books that satisfy my original post? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Food4Thought Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 One of the most comprehensive math for econ books is Simon and Blume. It goes over the foundations of calculus and linear algebra, but it does so at a very brisk pace. This pace would almost surely be too fast for anyone who has not seen the material before. You would be better off just studying a multivariate calc and introductory linear algebra book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyEconomist Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 One of the most comprehensive math for econ books is Simon and Blume. It goes over the foundations of calculus and linear algebra, but it does so at a very brisk pace. This pace would almost surely be too fast for anyone who has not seen the material before. You would be better off just studying a multivariate calc and introductory linear algebra book. Is Alpha Chiang's book similarly too advanced without prior exposure to linear algebra and multivariate calc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thagzone Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Hypothetically speaking, if I'm not trying to get into grad school, and just want to learn the math necessary for economics and to be able to have a limited ability to understand the research literature, are there any math for econ books that satisfy my original post? I really do see what you're driving at, and I'm not trying to be dismissive, I just don't see how what you're suggesting is doable. You need to have a very rich understanding of mathematical concepts to actually dig into the literature, and books such as the ones you're asking about aren't going to get you there on their own. However, since a lot of the literature (and maybe a lot the things you're interested in as someone without a ton of mathematical fluency) are presenting statistical results, you might be able to teach yourself how to interpret and understand regression models and their output without a lot more math than you have now (albeit, of course, at a superficial level). The theoretical motivation for the models will be over your head, but at least you could take a stab at understanding the intuition behind the specification and interpreting the results. I'm not sure what the best text is for that level of knowledge, but it is probably something more reasonable for you to target right now than trying to get a cursory understanding of all of those other fields of mathematics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyEconomist Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 I really do see what you're driving at, and I'm not trying to be dismissive, I just don't see how what you're suggesting is doable. You need to have a very rich understanding of mathematical concepts to actually dig into the literature, and books such as the ones you're asking about aren't going to get you there on their own. However, since a lot of the literature (and maybe a lot the things you're interested in as someone without a ton of mathematical fluency) are presenting statistical results, you might be able to teach yourself how to interpret and understand regression models and their output without a lot more math than you have now (albeit, of course, at a superficial level). The theoretical motivation for the models will be over your head, but at least you could take a stab at understanding the intuition behind the specification and interpreting the results. I'm not sure what the best text is for that level of knowledge, but it is probably something more reasonable for you to target right now than trying to get a cursory understanding of all of those other fields of mathematics. Thanks man. I'll take this into consideration. Appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MknMomNPopProud Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Is Alpha Chiang's book similarly too advanced without prior exposure to linear algebra and multivariate calc? Alpha Chiang would be possible to go through without mid/upper level math courses - I did it in undergrad for a math econ class. I agree with F4T that Simon and Blume would be too much without prior knowledge. Edit: I'm not saying it would be a good idea to jump into Chiang without linear and multi. Just that you could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sulebrahim Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I think you can jump into Chiang even without calculus. I actually think reading Chiang would actually help you in future math classes. Chiang assumes little math knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pch Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I jumped into S&B without multi & linear. It is definitely doable but I would advise supplementing it with some more introductory books for reference because some topics in S&B are not explained thoroughly and it may get confusing at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brwar Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Simon Blume, Rangarajan K. Sundaram, Angel de la Fuente, and the appendix of MWG contain almost all the math you need for first-year PhD Micro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyEconomist Posted September 11, 2015 Author Share Posted September 11, 2015 Simon Blume, Rangarajan K. Sundaram, Angel de la Fuente, and the appendix of MWG contain almost all the math you need for first-year PhD Micro. But are they self contained? Meaning one doesn't need a prerequisite knowledge of Calc 3 or linear algebra to read and work through? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Food4Thought Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 I think you are asking for an unrealistic amount of self-containment. The VAST VAST VAST majority of people reading math for economists texts have the pre-requisite knowledge for graduate economics (which is most usually deemed to be calc 3 and linear algebra). Multivariable calculus is everywhere in micro and I don't think there is any solution to your problem other than buying a book on multivariable calculus and learning that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thagzone Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 I think you are asking for an unrealistic amount of self-containment. The VAST VAST VAST majority of people reading math for economists texts have the pre-requisite knowledge for graduate economics (which is most usually deemed to be calc 3 and linear algebra). Multivariable calculus is everywhere in micro and I don't think there is any solution to your problem other than buying a book on multivariable calculus and learning that. Yes, this is exactly right. While there may be a few options, it is unequivocally a better idea to spend that time trying to learn those topics on their own terms rather than through a math for economics text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyEconomist Posted September 12, 2015 Author Share Posted September 12, 2015 Yes, this is exactly right. While there may be a few options, it is unequivocally a better idea to spend that time trying to learn those topics on their own terms rather than through a math for economics text. Alright thanks for the replies. I'll go that route then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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