2 comments about Precalculus (CliffsQuickReview).

1. i ordered this for my daughter to help with her homework because her teacher was not helping her with her explanations



2. I bought this book to help me with my Pre-Calculus work and found it v ery helpful, however it does come up a bit short in comparison to what is included in most of today's precalculus textbooks. I would say that 75-85% of my textbook was included in this book. What was included in the book was extremely helpful as a last minute test review which reflected on my test scores.

3 comments about Painless Math Word Problems (Barron's Painless Series).

1. This is a really fun book to read. The peoples names are really funny and it is very challenging to do the word problems. I am having so much fun giving the problems to my friends and family to see if they can do them. I know that I will do so much better in school because I have been practicing my word problems. I would suggest that this book should be used in school too.



2. one of the biggest challenges, particularly for those of us in the Great Boomer Glut who are at least 15 years from retirement.
   
   This book is phenomenal for middle and older adults who want to tune up their math chops after many years of neglect.
   
   It's funny how many people in the world WILL NOT actually TEACH math to you or anyone else. Sometimes I think the whole ridiculous "tough love" mentality started in someone's math department.
   
   Marcie is a magnificent exception.
   
   Marcie's two best attributes in this book are: 1) She is more than happy to break everything down into easy-to-latch-onto baby steps; and 2) Her whole focus is INCLUSIVE and supportive.
   
   Working through this book, I've been pleasantly surprised to discover how much I remember and can still do. More importantly, this book seems to have identified exactly where my cut-off point is -- and then extended it substantially further.
   
   For example, I've known about the Pythagorean Theorem for years but this is the first time I ever saw the picture of a triangle with squares coming off each of the 3 sides. Wow! Suddenly I see it in a whole different light. And then using it to measure "crow flying" distance between points only reachable via L shaped road patterns.
   
   Now, I'm ready to jump into Painless Algebra, more confident than I have been about math in a long time.
   
   My only regret is that, to my knowledge, there is no Painless Trigonometry, Painless Calculus or Painless Statistics. Barrons should create these so I can buy them.
   
   Thanks, Marcie. Thanks, Barrons.



3. I used this to review for a Middle School Math exam for teachers. I'm very glad I did. The problems aren't too easy, or too hard. I was able to work through all of the problems quickly, and upon completion I felt much more confident about my ability to pass the exam. While taking the exam, I recognized many of the same types of problems, and I was able to work them quickly and, I think, correctly. Although helpful, it was just one of the books I used to prepare. I wish I had also used Painless Algebra and Painless Geometry. I agree with another reviewer, Painless Algebra II, Painless Trig and Painless Calculus would also be helpful.

5 comments about Schaum's Outline of PreCalculus, 2nd Ed. (Schaum's Outlines).

1. Although this would also make a nice supplement for college students taking Precalculus, it really shines as a test preparation manual for students preparing to take the COMPASS math placement test that is required in many junior colleges. It starts with very basic material on the sets of numbers used in algebra, axioms for the real number systems, and precedence of operators and then moves on to cover everything that you should have seen in two years of high school algebra, trigonometry, and analytical geometry. Plus it even has a few chapters at the end on solving systems of linear equations and even some material on partial fraction expansion.
   
   This is not a book with any proofs in it. It is strictly applied mathematics - a "how to" book. The outline is careful to define all terms used, and shows general methods and alternate methods of solutions for different types of problems using clearly numbered steps. The examples and exercises are both excellent illustrations of the concepts involved.
   
   Thus, if you are starting out in college calculus or if you need to pass a college math placement exam at the precalculus level so that you are eligible to enroll in calculus, this is the book that I recommend you use. Remember that it is important for many college students to be eligible to enroll in calculus, since the vast majority of engineering and science undergraduate degrees do not count any math class of a lower skill level than calculus as credit toward their degree plans.



2. I would highly recommend this outline! This book shows step by step explanations of problems that helped my daughter understand sections of precal that she did not understand from her professor's explanations. She considered it a great help in passing the course with a higher grade than she would have made without it.



3. The book is well organized and clear on its points. Also includes tons of practice problems of every level of difficulty. I would recommend this to anyone who needs to review or self-teach the material.



4. Based on my experience with this series, I bought this for a college freshman in need. She loved the book and has since bought two other math books.



5. Excellent Study Guide. Provides a summary of the theory required to understand each math topic, many worked out examples and supplementary problems with answers at the end of the book.

5 comments about Basic Mathematics (Bittinger Developmental Mathematics Series).

1. I am enjoying learn through this book. It has infromed me and refreshened my memory to many math issues. I am pleased with this book, and will recommend it to bve used by others.



2. I had to buy this book for my Math 500 class. I am not proficient in math at all. I took Basic Math because I did not want to take Algebra, yet this book uses algebraic methods to even compute the simpliest problems. It has many steps that are dragged out when they could easily be done without algebra. I personally did not care for it at all. had I known the class I chose was using this book I never would have taken it. It is fine for peopke who grasp well the algebraic concept but I, for one, do not. Many people in my class complained to the teacher about the same thing.



3. This book would be fantastic for a review of (theoretically) common High School Arithmetic with a short review of basic pre-algebra. That is if, and only if you understood it the first time and have just "gotten rusty" at math. My wife never understood math and I spend the majority of my evenings writing examples and problems that will be appropriate to someone with "math phobia".
   
   This book presents mathematics as a set of completely unrelated proceedures to memorize that would make aboslutley no sense to anyone who did not believe in magic. Even when the book attempts to give a clear explanation of the "steps" involved in a problem it leaves out key "pitfalls" and answers to common problems that students have with the proceedures.
   
   Avoid this book if possible, If you can find Standard Arithmetic by Milne save yourself a lot of trouble and just learn arithmetic from the beggining with easier problems that will build your cofidence, help you memorize the new skill without using overcomplicated numbers in the problems. Trust me if you can add 1/6 + 3/5 you can add any fraction, you just need to build trust in the algorithm with numbers that you can verify quickly and then you'll be off to the races.
   
   Unless your trying to pad your GPA with a class that uses this book that is well below your math skill level, just spend a few weeks doing all the basic types of problems in the simplest book you can find and test out of the durgery of computing the product of 3.06545 and 7.654654 or naming each place value in the aforementioned numbers. It's a waste of time, I've taken Physics with Calculus and have never had to compute such numbers by hand and if I did I'm confident enough in my use of the "steps" in solving a problem that I would get the correct answer.
   
   This whole approach is like saying "well if jogging is good for you and wieght lifting is good for you I'll just jog with 300lbs on my back." It's just that silly. I could go on about the assumptions it makes about your understanding of interest rates, unit conversion, problem solving skills for appplications ect. but I'll just say I can't wait till this term is over and neither my wife or I will ever have to see this dreadful book again. In closing I wish Math Teachers could stop picking interesting excercises for them and start picking books that explain how to solve problems in Mathematics explicitly without taking anything for granted or without an number adequate of easy practice problems.



4. It is a great book to brush up on math. It gives good explanations and the chapter quizs are very helpful. If it's been a while since you've taken a math class I highly recommend this book.



5. Most of what is in this book is taught by the 8th grade. If you like me, left the 8th grade way too many years ago to remember, and your have to help your kids out on thier math, then this may be of assistence. I use it to assist me in writing lesson plans for my class instead of using the district provided texts. This book is full of 'everyday' math instead of made up stuff that you never see or do.

5 comments about Basic College Mathematics (7th Edition) (Lial Developmental Mathematics Paperback).

1. I was terribly disappointed as the text received is the instructors edition with all answers noted within the text. As a student of course this text was not what I thought I was purchasing. It was too late to return the text as the semester was in session at the time the text was purchased. I will definitely not use this service again as there will questions as to what I will receive and there is no time for returning and reordering text. Thanx for asking



2. at the ripe old age of 45, I had to retake math and for somebody whose math skills aren't above fourth grade, I dreaded the idea. This book made things easy for me. The only reason I do not give it 5 stars is that the algebra section was severely lacking but one math book cannot cover everything. I even used this book in my allied health math class and that book for that class STANK. I resorted back to this book many times as a refresher. My professor for the allied health math class would explain a long, drawn-out version of how to find an answer and a simple shortcut was supplied in this book. I would have the answer before the professor was even half way done with HIS method! I can't imagine ever giving up this book.



3. Not having paid much attention in school (60 yrs ago) and learning computer programming dicated the need for a refresher course in basic mathematics. The author's approach to teaching is to demonstrate the problem and its various solutions and then provide numerous (up to 60 or more problems for the student to work. Answers are provided only for the odd-numbered review exercises. Chapter tests and cumulative review exercises have answers to all the problems. The text is written in clear language that is easily understandable. As with all endeavors effort is needed on the part of the student. The title is somewhat misleading in that I view this book as a "review" or "refersher" course in basic math not as an introduction to college mathematics which I assumed to be on a much higher plane. At the present I am a third of the way through the book and enjoy it. I highly recommend this book for someone who needs to catch up on their abc's of math. Unlike a lot of books this one has plenty of the hands-on approach to doing math. If you need to learn numbers, this is the place to start.



4. I purchased this book for my personal library, and I was not disappointed by how the material in the book presents math in an enjoyable way.



5. This book was in good shape and cheap. It took a little longer than expected to get but not too bad. It was very helpful. Thank you.

3 comments about Precalculus Seventh Edtition.

1. needed it for class. it is well written, answers to most exercises r in the back so you can check your work.



2. I bought this for two of my classes. Although the description talks about accessing Eduspace you should know that the passkey is NOT included with this product. You will have to spend an additional $67 on the Eduspace site to buy that passkey.



3. I needed a math book and I found it in amazon.com! It was cheaper than the schools bookstore and kb books. It got to me right on time. Overall I have no complaints. It simply does its job and I'm satisfied with that.

5 comments about Precalculus: Mathematics for Calculus, Enhanced Review Edition (with CD-ROM and iLrn™ Printed Access Card).

1. One of the best online shopping experiences I've ever had. I placed an order and the book was at my home in 1 week in the condition listed. I will definitely look to buy from this person again!



2. The item was misrepresented by the seller and when I contacted him/her, he/she did not reply....



3. Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Your service was first rate and the book was delivered in a very reasonable amount of time. The book was in excellent condition for the price I paid, about half of new.
   
   The author gives you lots of practice problems and because I bought the "instructors" edition I got the answers to all of the problems. I find it helpful when learning math, if you're having trouble, to look at the answer and "reverse engineer" the problem. Sometimes doing it this way, in combination with the examples, will give you clues as to how you should work the problem. If the answer that you are headed towards does not look like the answer in the book, you can analyze your work and figure out what you are supposed to do.
   
   If you are someone like me who has not taken a math course for a few years, or if you have always had trouble with higher math like I have, you would be well served to refer to a book from an earlier level of math for additional help, such as my old Algebra 2 book. (I always keep my old math books.)
   
   The author tends to use a lot of shortcuts without explaining that he has done so. If a user of this book, is not proficient in math this can serve to confuse and frustrate the user.
   
   The CD, while it does have lots of good practice problems and the practice test routines are cool, has little in the way of examples. I really don't see the sense in having so many practice problems on the CD when the book itself is crammed full of practice problems. I think the CD would have been better if it explained more of the actual problems from the book.
   
   The last two math books I used had, "CD" or "video tape" icons beside some of the problems that indicated that the problem was worked out on the CD. The "precalc" had no CD problems from the book and only a handful of "video tape" problems.



4. This book is really a great help for those wanting to exercise their math skills or even challenging themselves in precalculus. It provides answers in the back of the book so you can check your problems and in the beginning of the book it has some review chapters on basic algebra. I use it for my college precalc class it really does help and explains mathematics beautifully.



5. ITEM ARRIVED IN GOOD CONDITION AS PROMISED BUT A LITTLE BIT LATE AND EMAILS TO SELLER WHERE NOT RETURNED. OTHERWISE GOOD TRANSACTION.

3 comments about Short-Cut Math.

1. Being slightly math phobic, I have always tried to find easier ways to solve math problems. This book gave my current methods credibility and gave me new ideas and methods to try. It even helped me feel more confident about my abilities. I'm sure just about anyone could get something out of this book.



2. I live a life dominated by numbers so anything I find that speeds the manipulation of large computations is a godsend. This little book handles the equation nicely. Its unassuming stature hides a powerhouse of mathematical linguistics that brings speed and better accuracy to a wide range of numerical problem solving situations. It's simple, clean-cut approach to finding easy solutions to everyday math problems should be a tremendous help to everyone who reads it.



3. What a great little book! If you are like me, doing most of your math through computers, you may find the need to go back and brush up on the fundamentals. For me, one of the most valuable sections was on how to set up a columnar addition problem to work it left to right. I can do long division, algebra....you name it...but I have had problems adding columns of numbers in the conventional manner. Perhaps its a form of dyslexia. Anyway, Kelly shows you how to work the problems left to right, which I found helpful. His explanation of aliquot relationships was better than I got in junior high.
   
   I like the emphasis on learning to work the problem to the level of precision you need. Say, if your house is so many square feet rounded and you want to find out how much paint will cover the surface, you may require 5.452 gallons of paint, but you'll have to buy 6 gallons from the store. So what's the point of the precision?
   
   This book is exceptionally well written. Each problem is worked out or resolved completely. When I used it, I covered up the answers and worked each problem. I spent no more than 20-30 minutes a day to keep it fresh and drudgery free.

4 comments about Apple Fractions.

1. This is a great book for any teacher/person teaching young kids about fractions. It gives fractions not commonly found in other "teaching" books. It also give facts about apples and the various types. Great book to be used for a "hands-on" lesson.



2. I like the way it teaches fractions and doesn't use candy!



3. I have had this book for at least a couple years and both my children (currently ages 5 and 8) love it. It is always a favorite at bedtime reading, and they love to look at it on their own too. It is really well thought out and beautifully illustrated. I don't know how much of the fractions concept they are getting from it (we won't know that until the subject comes up in school) but I have to think that by introducing the concept in a fun form and early on cannot hurt. I'd definitely recommend it!



4. The book arrived in great condition and was very helpful for learning fractions, plus it is fun.

3 comments about College Algebra (3rd Edition) (Beecher/Penna/Bittinger Series).

1. I used this book for an online class with little to no teacher support and was able to make it all the way through with an A. The examples are great and the descriptions easy to understand. This is a wonderful textbook.



2. Love the amount of real world applications that come with this book. This book is precise and to the point. Book is designed to go at a fast pace, if you were to work out problems in this book on a daily basis for a couple hours , you would finish the book with ease in about 2 and a half weeks. This book is the easiest read I have encountered as far as math books go. Im definitely sticking with these authors as far as the rest of my math courses go. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.



3. Finding the College Algebra 3rd edition on Amazon was a fantastic deal. The used book was in great condition with no defects or writing in the book. It also a fantastic buy. It saved us half the cost of a new book. It was a simple process and only took a week to get the book in the mail. I would recommend this to anyone who needs to find a college book at a great price.