1 comments about Intermediate Algebra for College Students (5th Edition) (The Blitzer Developmental Algebra Series).

1. Blitzers' step by step is very helpful but does not always use the best path to the solution. He could use more examples of different types of the same problem, ie. What occurs when using negetives on this problem? Great book, but with anything, could be better.

2 comments about Essential Calculus: Early Transcendentals.

1. If you'll notice above, the description states it is a book meant to be as concise as possible, which I believe the author definitely achieved. However, this drive to be as small as possible without lacking 'essential' topics is cheating to the beginning calculus student. Concepts should be thoroughly explained and end of chapter questions should match or slightly exceed the level of difficulty of the explained concepts in the chapter - not heavily exceed it, this is where I took off a star. I understand that the goal of end of chapter questions is to challenge the student, but the lack of thorough explanations in an effort to be as concise as possible does not prepare the student for these questions, in my opinion. Therefore, I had to seek out other materials.
   
   In the end, I found this book to laid out very well and amazingly, for a math book, somewhat easy to read. I supplemented this book with the Idiots Guide to Calculus, which was a life saver on certain topics and went even further with Stewart's Solution Manual for this book. The purchasing of these two additional books, I hope, may be an indicator of the lack of thoroughness for achieving as small a book as possible.



2. I'm a major of mathematics currently studying as an undergraduate at university. During my high school days, I won several different awards at the math team state competition, and I have read through several books on Calculus so I know a little bit about this subject. This book does a great job a presenting the material concisely, but it has some end of chapter problems that will probably be too hard for some of you to figure out on your own. They are meant to challenge you, but the book fits so much information in such a little space that it cannot explain certain concepts enough to properly prepare you for some of the problems.
   
   This book also suffers from the same problem that most math books suffer from in that you do one section then move on completely ignoring what you learned in the previous section or at the very least concepts presented in that chapter. This can create problems on tests and big problems on finals so it is a good idea to go back and do a few problems from previous chapters every week just to keep your practice up. Picking up a solutions manual for this book and some additional supplement books may not be such a bad idea either. If you are looking for some practice of varied nature the Saxon Calculus textbook has a structure set up that is great for practicing several different concepts instead of ignoring them after a few sections. The Saxon book is rather fast paced though and hard for people who need to do lots of examples of new material in order to grasp the concepts. It also doesn't cover nearly as much material as this book does. As a supplement, it could be very useful for your basic Calculus 1 and 2 courses in college though.
   
   Books and supplements aren't going to be enough for you to truly understand Calculus. If you truly want to learn this you are going to have to pay attention in class, do more than the assigned homework, and probably get a tutor if you are really serious about this. Not all of you will have this problem, but I'm not going to sit here and assume that everyone can chill in the back of the class room and learn this material without practicing it just because that is my approach to math doesn't mean everyone is going to have the natural ability to do that in fact 99% of you would fail by using this tactic. You need practice, and if you have problems understanding concepts then you need to seek help from your teacher, classmates, and tutors. Good luck.

5 comments about Algebra for Dummies.

1. This book was of little help. It did help some refreshing me with order of operation, but some of the problems they had in there my PhD friends had a hard time with and needed a whole whiteboard to show me when they figured it out. This book is only good if you already have some knowledge of algebra.



2. I ordered this book on March 17th and I still have not received my order. It is now April 24th so it's a little disappointing.



3. I was forced into taking Algebra as one of the requirements for my Associates. I had never taken Algebra before and was a little nervous about taking it. My professor suggested this book so I would have a reference that spoke in plain english. It was helpful in understanding some of the verbage of algebra. I got through with a "B" and consider myself extremely lucky. I recommend this book for beginners or just someone who needs to brush up on the basics of algebra.



4. It has made my algebra review easy. The author gave me clear instructions and plenty of examples. I know it better now than I learned it 40 years ago.



5. This is NOT an algebra textbook and it was never meant to be one. It's meant to SUPPLEMENT a textbook. I have an extremely hard time understanding math books and math teachers. I've always been that way. I've repeated Pre-Algebra and Algebra so many times it'd make your head spin. Well, this gives me a second explanation to turn to when I don't understand the one in my Algebra book.
   
   I own or have owned a total of over twenty "...For Dummies" books and this is the best of them all. The explanations in this book are the clearest I have ever seen. The author is a master at making things easy for me to understand. She gives me confidence that I never had before.

No comments about MP Auditing and Assurance Services with ACL SW CD.

5 comments about Mathematics for Elementary Teachers: A Contemporary Approach.

1. I used the Mathematics for elementary teachers for a college level course. The text is interesting and provides the reader/learner with a solid foundation of Problem solving skills in learning and teaching mathematics. It has several useful examples of the strategies as well as challenging problems that can be solved on ones own. The problem solving strategies are new in the respect that "it's not your mama's math." There are several types of problem solving skills that I was not aware of and will come in handy for teaching and learning because not everybody solves problems the same. The text works at applying concepts to "real classroom" setting. Many of the strategies presented are in line with the National Council Of Teachers of Mathematics Curriculum and Evaluation Standards (NCTM)- the leading authority in the U.S. focusing on keeping standards in math curriculums across the country, to ensure that students are well prepared for future more complex mathematics. The chapters are followed by numerous challenging math problems to solve. And some of the answers are even in the back of the book so you can check yourself. A solid foundation of basic math operations and Algebra I is a must to keep up with the text. The only downside is that I wish there was a workbook to compliment the text. I found myself re doing the same problems in order to get the concepts down. It would have been better if there were more problems similar to the chapters. Another problem was that some of the answers in the back of the book were wrong.



2. Very fast receipt, well packaged, very well priced, and everything included. Outstanding service and will definitely consider buying used textbooks from this seller in the future!



3. I was able to use this book for two semesters! It contains double the info and you don't have to buy a book the next semester.



4. Since I was unable to buy this manual at my college bookstore, it was great to be able to order it....and the manual was in perfect condition!



5. It's great. Would definately order more books by Gary L. Musser

5 comments about Algebra 2.

1. This is a decent algebra 2 workbook but I don't recommend it because there is no answer key.



2. I did buy algebra 2 book and practic work books and i did mentioned to seller including the book number but unfortunately i got different text book that doesnot match with the work book. Now i don't know what to do with the two different books i.e work book and algebra 2 text book
   if you have any suggestion please let me know
   vijay



3. Workbook was brand new, came in the time promised and was exactly what we wanted!



4. Price was great and shipping was excellent and the condition was brand new with no nicks or scratches.



5. The book is in the shape it was described and the shipping is very quick. Excellent service

5 comments about Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning (Information Science and Statistics).

1. This book gives a comprehensive understanding of machine leraning. The way the author puts forth a myriad of topics is appreciable. The book takes more of an algorithmic standpoint rather than a statistical standpoint on Machine Learning, and is highly recommended for anyone starting in this field.



2. Start right from the first page. No gimmicks. Plain old mathematics and useful stuff, then to machine learning. You always know, the rationale behind the chapters or the sentence. Very inspiring.



3. I am a PhD student who wanted to own a good book on pattern recognition. I asked my professor, who had recently attended an international conference on speech recognition, which book to buy. He said that several top academics in the field at the conference had agreed that this was THE book to have, and he agrees with them.
   
   After reading though the first few chapters I am impressed by the structured way concepts are related. I like that the basic probability theory needed to understand the concepts are recapped and explained in an understandable way.



4. The book is worth a look, but after some of 5 star reviews i read here, it was quite a disappointment. Yes, the book covers a lot of ground. Yes, the book has lots of nice pictures and easy examples, but that is exactly the problem. There are lots and lots of simple examples to explain the most basic concepts, but when it gets complicated the book often sounds as if the text was taken out of a mathematics book. For example: the basics of probability theory are introduced for over 5 pages with the example of "two coloured boxes each containing fruit". Nothing wrong with that. Then the chapter continues with probability densities which are covered within 2 pages and contain sentences like "Under a nonlinear change of variable, a probability density transforms differently from a simple function, due to the Jacobian factor". There is no mentioning how a simple function exactly transforms, what a Jacobian factor actually is and why we would be interested in a nonlinear change. Surely, some of the introductory pages could have been thrown out to explain in depth the more difficult issues. Unfortunately, this is not the only time, where easy concepts get a lot of attention and the truly important complex concepts are skimmed over. All in all, still worth a read, though do not expect too much.



5. I am a PhD student in machine learning. Bishop is really gifted and he explains very well basic and advanced concepts of machine learning. I would say that this book is much more comprehensive than Hastie's Statistical learning book The Elements of Statistical Learning. Very good illustrations and very complete. I would definitely recommend it for those who want to learn statistical/machine learning on their own

3 comments about Introductory Algebra (Lial Developmental Mathematics Paperback).

1. i didnt get it because they never got any in stock



2. The product I ordered was a book,it was in very good condition. There was no problem with the product. Just want to make sure that no one makes the mistake of ordering the wrong book. I needed the student edition of Introductory Algebra, but ordered the teachers edition, because I didn't read all product details and comments. Now I have to order the student edition. Hope that this information will help others in their attempt to place an order.



3. I ordered the book thinking it was the student edition because it did not say that it was the Instructors "annotated" edition.
   Now I see many that say annotated or Instructors or Teachers edition. I ordered mine on 12/16/05 and had to send it back. I think all textbooks being sold should have that clarified. It is considered cheating if you use the "annotated" i.e Instructors edition.

5 comments about Secrets of Mental Math: The Mathemagician's Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks.

1. I recently purchased this book after a stranger in a bookstore suggested it. I'm already impressed. There are quite a few 'speed math' books out there, but this one is easily accessible to everyone and is intended to help with everyday life. I'm fairly advanced in college-level math and I intuitively knew some of the suggestions in the book, but it has helped me brush up, learn new things, and most of all learn how to do it BETTER.
   
   I highly recommend this book to students because it is a tremendous help to know how to perform quick math in your head. Even if you have a calculator, just knowing what to expect for the outcome helps you perform faster and serves as a double-check when you need it. And knowing how to do math quickly is essential on a standardized test like the SAT. Even if you know how to do all the problems correctly, the time limit can cripple you--so do yourself a favor and get this book.
   
   Some of the topics covered in this book include 'basic' to 'advanced' multiplication, mental division, guesstimation, calculating the day of the week, and memorizing numbers through mnemonics.



2. 
   This book is great! This book teaches you tricks that really work and really makes you wonder how people came up with them.
   
   One thing I wanted to reccommend - Although this book is for mental math, going through it, I always kept a pencil and paper by my side - some of the concepts/tricks were a little abstract to simply read and absorb the first time around, so they needed a couple of examples (on paper) to solidify the 'trick' for me. After I worked out a couple of problems on pen and paper, I was able to grasp the ability to do them mentally.
   
   One of the best things this book teaches is guesstimation and more importantly, how to forumulate your 'guesses' so you are not so far off from target. I had been doing guesstimation for ages but the methods mentioned in the book were pretty good guidelines for my future guesses.
   
   This book is a must have for anyone that is afraid of numbers because these simple tricks will make difficult math problems a little easier to deal with. The time saving techniques this book is filled with can shave seconds off of your problem solving skills which, come test time (math test, SAT, any test which involves math), you'll be thinking about this book and thanking the author.



3. It's fascinating to learn ways to easily and quickly get answers to spur-of-the-moment mathematical calculations without the need for pencil and paper. Besides a I-wonder-why-this-wasn't-taught-in-school reverse technique for mentally, quickly and easily adding, subtracting and multiplying, it's especially neat to be able to determine the day of the week for any calendar date in any century! The author shows how and makes it simple. The techniques work better for those who know well their multiplication tables and their sums. If one doesn't, getting answers is doable but takes longer.



4. I am not a big fan of math but I thought I give it a try. Since I have the book, I am practicing on frequent bases and the tricks really work. Beside many hours of calculation practice the book also provides some nice stories about different lightning calculators.



5. This is a great book with lots of helpful hints at how to do mental math. My daughter wanted the book, and she is learning the material quickly.

No comments about Trigonometry (9th Edition).