5 comments about Calculus With Analytic Geometry.

1. It definitly helps one who want to master Calculus or join the Calculus competiton of any kinds.

   It better than "Calculus With Analytic Geometry, Seventh Edition" for it give you some useful appendixs and very simplify than it. It does not includ differential equation for as the author said that it is not useful when there is a full course on differential equation!!!




2. Another MIT student here... unfortunately not all calc. classes at MIT has stopped using this book. As a result the majority of our class is hopelessly lost... and this is at MIT!!!... now that's a testament to how bad the book is... Things aren't explained well, the examples have nothing to do with the actual problems, and without the "space wasting" graphics that so many other books have it's difficult to visualize what Simmons is talking about, and despite popular opinion visualizing what you are doing is very important to calculus. I'm relying on my HS calc book to get me through the course.



3. This book is perfect if you are looking for a book that has a nice balance between theory and application. Theory is presented on an as-needed basis and there is more in the appendix if the reader is so inclined. This was an excellent book for me my freshman year and it has been a good reference for me throughout my math career. It is a nice stepping stone on the way to spivak.



4. I have a big, dirty secret: I needed three tries to get through calculus. Needless to say, I went through (or at least started) three calculus books. The third of these was Simmons' first edition of the current volume. Dr. Simmons takes a historical approach to the material, following discovery after discovery. While today we define the derivative in terms of the limit, this definition (and the delta-epsilon proof machinery beneath the limit concept) came after the geometric notion of the tangent of a curve. I found it enormously helpful to know where I was going before I started. And why not? The great mathematicians that built the rigorous foundations beneath the calculus all knew where they had to end up.
   
   One other topic that Dr. Simmons enjoys is arithmetic series. This topic unfolded like a flower during its presentation. As I moved into computer science, this provided valuable background to some of the iterative methods of calculation I was exposed to.
   
   I might have a different perspective, though; George Simmons was my Calc 2 prof :-)



5. This book virtually made me love mathemathics. It's a book with an unique set of features in it's appendix, and the writing style of the author is almost like you are actually reading a great novel about calculus.

5 comments about ¡Buen viaje! Level 1, Student Edition (Glencoe Spanish).

1. This book has good info. Not only Spanish words, but a LOT of cultural history, maps, photos, etc. They have really good, clear, explanations. I used this book for my Spanish class. But, the book alone won't get you to speak fluent Spanish. Of course, my teacher played a HUGE role in teaching me, but theis book is great. Who knows, maybe if we finished the whole book, I'd be fluent, but it IS worth it. Trust me.



2. As a Spanish teacher and native speaker I wouldn't recommend this book to my worst student. I had the "pleasure" to teach this book for 3 years (formerly named "Bienvenidos", "A bordo" and "Buen Viaje")and I didn't like it the least. The publishers came up with a new format this year but although it looks more attractive you can still find many of the SAME old activities and many of the old pictures. The vocabulary section at the end of each chapter don't have the English translation what makes it quite difficult for the student when reviewing vocabulary. They have improved the culture sections,though; but still it is not good enough. If you learn Spanish using this book, please THANK your teacher, he/she has a lot of work to do when using this book. Buena suerte!



3. The odering process was easy and came in a timely fashion. I am very satisfied



4. I ordered this crappy book for my spanish class (im a student) and not only is it boring and confusing but it came to me in the worst condition you could ever imagine. It was TRASHED. But worst of all it came to me with drawings of penises and female nudity and almost any vulgar image you could imagine on almost EVERY PAGE!!! Now I have to explain to everyone when they see senior lopez on page 50 with a **** in his mouth that it came to me that way! DO. NOT. ORDER. USED.



5. I ordered on the 12 they said the book shipped on the 13 or 14---it did not ship until the 2oth.

5 comments about Schaum's Outline of Geometry.

1. This is a great way to reivew principles and then use the problems for additional practice. Some problems are fully worked, others have only the answer listed. Great addition for someone who learns best by doing problems.



2. I found myself needing to review geometry for the SAT and needed a succinct, clear, and accurate guide. This outline has more than exceeded my expectations. By the time I worked through most of the problems in this book, my geometry skills had doubled and the SAT geometry was relatively easy.
   
   I highly reccomend this book as either a refresher guide or as a textbook.



3. I bought this book to use with my daughter for added drill and review of Geometry and was shocked to find an inaccurate mathematical statement after the Commutative Law of Multiplication (3a X 5 = 5 X 2a = 10a) and three errors in the solutions provided to practice questions in the first eight pages. I haven't ventured further, but based on my experience thus far, I will need to review every example and problem for accuracy, something I hadn't planned to do and shouldn't need to do.



4. I bought this book as a recommended book for a masters Geometry class I was taking. While the concepts of my class were far more advanced than this book, the content of the book made remembering about the geometry and basics (probably good through hs geometry) more clear. I good book to take you through high school geometry.



5. I got this book as review of basic geometry. Mostly because they never made a Forgotten Geometry text. It's really not bad. It covers quite a bit of ground, from simple geometry to a taste of analytical and transformational geometry.
   
   Conversely, this book didn't wow me either. It covers some basic algebra in the beginning, which is fine for the easier formulas like area and perimeter, but not nearly enough for a comprehensive study of geometry. One should study Schaum's outline of Intermediate Algebra or College Algebra, or a text of their choosing, before tackling any geometry. Especially if your preparing for a Calculus/Analytical Geometry Course.
   
   I haven't found a good intro geometry book yet(I haven't even looked!), but when I do, I'll be sure to update this review. As always, good luck!

No comments about Geometry, Student Edition.

No comments about Algebra and Trigonometry: Graphs & Models and Graphing Calculator Manual Package (4th Edition) (Bittinger Graphs & Models Series).

5 comments about Geometry: Integration, Applications, Connections.

1. This is a very poor math textbook. Here's the main problem: End-of-chapter problem sets require knowledge and skills that have not been clearly introduced in the chapter. Chapters meander through irrelevant or mundane points (e.g., how to bisect an angle using a compass...this is middle school stuff) but then call on different skills in problem sets (e.g., where was this postulate discussed in the chapter?). If you are looking for a good geometry book, I suggest that you look elsewhere. Unfortunately, our school district didn't.



2. I was recently amazed when my daughter, who has been a strait A math student, showed me this textbook along with a poor grade in her first quarter taught with this book. I am an electrical engineer with math minor who greatly enjoys math applications in engineering.
   
   I've read through many chapters of this book in utter confusion. There are so many applications and examples, it's hard to find the math concepts, particularly in the early introductory chapters. Chapter one of this book, used to teach 8th graders in our school district, reads like a textbook on vector calculus. The discussion changes between 1,2, and 3 space without any discussion or any definitions. Almost any 1960's geometry textbook would be far superior.
   
   In reading later chapters, it seems to cover boolean logic, logic theory, matrices, then returns to geometry. The trigonometry sections are fairly good. Towards the end, a more standard approach is taken towards solid geometry. The homeworks are very confusing, and relate to materials not in the chapters.
   
   This book has just too much confusing stuff for middleschoolers. I'm sure that it's well intended, but completely misses the mark. It fails to teach geometry. Chock full of applications, especially in the early part of the book, it's missing the fundamental ideas of geometry. It's also very weak on analytical geometry, the most important ideas in engineering.
   
   This textbook was a poor choice in our school district. The latter chapters are almost college level in complexity. I'm sure that the egos of the authors were well massaged in coauthoring this. However, the students are left without a useful textbook that they can understand or learn math from. If making students thoroughly confused and feeling inadeqate is a new concept in education, then this book is great. No wonder students can't pass the Aims test.



3. I am taking an honors level geometry course at my high school, and this, unfortunately, is the text that we have been given. It's absolutely rubbish. The lessons don't really teach the concepts, they just show some examples, which are hard to comprehend without actually knowing the topic that they're trying to teach/demonstrate/show-off/whatever. Furthermore, the problems at the end of the lessons/chapters clearly assume knowledge beyond the scope of what was taught in the book (leaving holes for the teacher to fill in, I suppose). This book is bad, really bad, and I cannot stress this point enough.
   
   I'd reccomend "Geometry the Easy Way" by Lawrence S. Leff, if you truly want to learn the topic (it covers everything that this joke of a text covers...only in more depth). Oh, and it's only $10 or so.
   
   Also, avoid the Algebra II textbook by these clowns, it's written in the same bad style, poorly teaching the lessons. In general, Glencoe products are of the lowest quality. I'm studying calculus independently, and I'm sure glad that Glencoe doesn't produce a calculus text (otherwise the school may have given me that).



4. In my home state of Tennessee, this is the text that unsuspecting school kids must decipher. It should have been easy - it's structure (and I use the term loosely) broadly resembles MTV with its numerous subjects per page, chats about unrelated subjects, some of the worst use of the English language ever and a colorful, multi-font, in-your-face appearance. There's pictures and graphs and arrows and charts and big text and small text and cartoons...Yet it cannot be understood much less absorbed - at least by anyone looking for something rational.
   
   Like others, I noticed that the "team" of writers (it's almost as if they took turns writing paragraphs) continually introduced material BEFORE it was studied. Then there were the "examples" - just pitiful. Proofs were confusing, redundancy is taken for granted and the number of sub-subjects - review, standardized tests, chapter study, real life example, etc all ran together in a mushy mixture of words and concepts. IF YOUR CHILD MUST USE THIS BOOK GET EITHER A TUTOR OR PURCHASE "Geometry the Easy Way" by Lawrence S. Leff. I picked it up for $2.99 from Amazon.
   A one star is overly generous.



5. Math books in Japan and Singapore are short, inexpensive, and to the point. Math books in American often look like this monstrocity: long, expensive and rambling. For example we learn about the history of jeans, we learn that Mae Jemison was the first African-American woman to go into space, and that in 1974, Beverly Johnson, the first black model on the cover of a major fashion magazine. In other words, this book tries very hard to hide the fact that is math book by introducing glossy photos, color pictures, and a litany facts TOTALLY UNRELATED TO MATH. Unfortunately, the students will eventually find out this is a math textbook, so introducing all of that fluff is a wasted effort.
   
   In looking through this book, I would say about 65% of it can be jettisoned, leaving 35% of the book that actually deals with math in a direct and useful way. However, you really have to wade through a lot of nonsense to find that stuff.
   
   Avoid this book. Period.

5 comments about Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics.

1. Wauw, never thought the prime principles and theories behind it could be explained so well and most of all so easy to understand.
   With this book, the writer makes one of the most mysterious and complex theories in mathematics easy to understand for the common man.
   Simply great!



2. The Prime Number Theorem and its related consequences is a fascinating subject. This book however is a long winded, very poorly written attempt. The author never seems to be able to make a point clearly and succinctly. Instead we are treated to a ramble that confuses more than elaborates. For example the presentation on functions is very poorly done. I have seen basic algebra texts explain the idea of functions far better than in this book. To make matters worse the author takes about ten pages to explain the beautiful idea of a function thus killing a sublime truth.
   
   Sorry to say but far better general math books abound. Take a look at Journey Through Genius.



3. This is a fine book that lays out clearly Riemann's life and times and the mathematical work he did, but I'll explain more about that later in the review.
   
   The author certainly knows his subject matter and it thoroughly researched, which I'll touch on a little later. The only thing that drove me to distraction was that at least 2 times in every chapter he would make a point, then say something like "I'll explain more about this in just a bit" or "More about this later" or "In chapter 12 I'll touch on this again". I'm not kidding, it happened EVERY chapter and after a while it got annoying....but I'll show you more about that in my other review.
   
   Still, a great read and required reading for anyone into mathematics and number theory.



4. There are a number of authors who have tried to esplain difficult scientific or mathematical problems to non-expert readers. I have read and enjoyed many such books. Thus far, Derbyshire is the master.



5. Very good book, easy to read, no previous knowledge on math is needed but just secondary.

4 comments about Finite Mathematics (9th Edition).

1. As a reviewer and educator, I encounter many textbooks that can be used in the lower level classes such as basic statistics, algebra, precalculus and finite mathematics. Since the material to be covered in these classes has been established by consensus, it is a rare occasion when there is a significant difference in coverage. In addition, there is a natural order to many of the topics, so the differences in sequence also tend to be minimal. All of this leads to a routine sameness of the books, especially when examined by someone experienced in the topic.
   Therefore, when examining a book for adoption consideration, my primary concern is how easy it will be for the students to read it. This requires that you intentionally dumb yourself down, reading the explanations in detail, looking for simplistic clarity. If a book has that feature, then it is most likely a good choice. With the exception of including solutions to a large percentage of the problems, all other aspects of the book are secondary. (I consider the lack of solutions to problems in a math book to be a fatal flaw.) In general, I consider the inclusion of more problems of the same type to be trivial padding; after all, the value added by including ten more routine matrix addition problems is minimal. In finite mathematics, it is possible to include problems based on circumstances that actually occur in the real world. The cost of manufacturing some items is in fact locally linear and the allocation of resources can be described by a matrix. Therefore, the realism of the applied problems must also be a consideration when examining a finite math text.
   With these conditions of acceptance established, I can say that this book passes the test. The explanations have the simplistic clarity that students need and solutions to many of the problems are included. Many problems demonstrate reasonably practical conditions where finite mathematics is used in the world, and the appropriate background for the problems is given. While no decision has yet been made concerning what book to use next year, this one has been placed on my list of the top three finalists for further consideration.



2. I took an online class over the summer and used this book. Eventhough the teacher was not helpful, the book was. All the exercises were extremely helpful and the text was simple and easy to read. I would recommend this book for any who has to take this class.



3. This book was only used for one semester. It is in great condition looks brand new. I bought it brand new and kept it in the same condition.



4. I purchased this book brand new and full priced because it is listed as havinga MathXL Tutorial on CD. I felt the aid of interactive instruction would be beneficial. Since having recieved this book and inquiring of Amazon, I find the book does NOT come with a CD but with an online address for a website with instruction which costs and ADDITIONAL $35.00 to access. The title is incorrect and misleading, and making this transaction with Amazon has been disappointing. I will think twice before I make another.Finite Mathematics (9th Edition) (MathXL Tutorials on CD Series)

5 comments about The Geometer's Sketchpad (R): Student Edition.

1. This product is really good for working through classroom problems. It gets a little tougher, if you're not used to the program, for more advanced problems. But it does help even by just using it to mess around with when having to do any geometry problem.



2. The cheapest, before shipping, I could find this on the Key Curriculum website was $39.99. This is a much better price.



3. This is a great tool when studying Euclidean Geometry. It works just like a straight edge and compass, except the diagrams can be manipulated afterwards so that one sketch can be used to test multiple cases (acute vs obtuse, for instance) which helps in the observation of geometric properties. The interface is easy to use and quick to learn. On the down side, the program offers very little help, which can be frustrating when you're trying something new. (I have yet to make the Construct Locus function work.)



4. This sketchpad is a great way to supplement any geometry curriculum. I bought the student version (the only downfall I can find) and you have to put in the cd every time you run the program.
   
   I will use it to demonstrate the Pythagorean theorem and construct basic geometric figures for my middle school curriculum. Very easy to use too! It does link you with additional lessons through NCTM. I will probably purchase the full version next year.



5. Loved it and have been happy with this software. It helps me decide whether to make orders of that for my school where I am teaching Geometry so I will do that. Thanks.

2 comments about College Algebra and Trigonometry (4th Edition) (Mathxl Tutorials on CD).

1. The book is decent. But is not a great text book. It's highlihgted formulas, etc... are very helpful, but it doesn't seem to explain a lot of things in a way to make them easily understandable. I have used many different math books, and I would not use this one unless you are teaaching extremely bright students.



2. I truly did enjoyed being a client of this seller! I got a perfect product with a perfect service and a quick delivery! I felt secure with my order.
   Thank you very much!!