Reviews (10)

Clear and understandable.
At the beginning I was a bit worried about the way the book explains the material.It seemed too simple for a book dealing with more complex subjects in math such as functions, trigonometry and analytic geometry.Then again it could be said that this quality is the one that makes the book such a joy to read.
reviews for the 7th edition?
why are the reviews for the 6th and 7th edition of this book the same?is there no difference between editions, such that reviews for the 6th should be kept for the 6th.the 7th edition might have changes that could cause some to review/change a viewpoint about its content.maybe at the core they are the same book/method, but it is overall a different book and the reviews should be kept edition specific.
well designed for self study
I taught 2 sections of precalculus with this book last spring. This book is well designed for self study. Examples are keyed to specific exercises so the student is directed to use a concept immediately after seeing it employed in a suitable exercise.
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Subjects:  1. Algebra    2. Algebra - General    3. Mathematics    4. Pre-Calculus    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Trigonometry    7. Mathematics / Calculus   

Subjects:  1. Arithmetic    2. General    3. Mathematics    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Algebra    6. Mathematics / General   

Reviews (5)

Excellent Teaching Vehicle
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.
I hate math but I love this book!
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.

Basic College Mathematics
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 ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arithmetic    2. Mathematics    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Study & Teaching    5. Textbooks    6. Mathematics / General   

Reviews (13)

This book is the pits
I am by no means a math wizard.I am, however, able to learn things on my own fairly well.This book makes that nearly impossible though.This book gives very few examples, and the few that they do give rarely give any clues to what needs to be done to solve the equations.It also fails to really teach anything.It's by no means for a student that is going to be going through an online course where they won't be interfacing with an instructor.I would not have enrolled into the course for online schooling if I had know this books was going to be this terrible.I strongly don't recommend this book!!!

Sadly disappointed
This text is a pathetic excuse for educational material.It gives meager examples and many are not even applicable to the chapter exercises.By far this is the poorest written text I have encountered in three years of college.

Now I'm scared!
I'm getting ready to take Intermediate Algebra using a text by this author.I will be required to take College Algebra next term and am hoping, after reading your reviews, that this is NOT the book that will be required for the class.Did anyone get value from "math help" websites? Thanks! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Algebra    2. Algebra - Elementary    3. Mathematics    4. Pre-Calculus    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Mathematics / Pre-Calculus   

Reviews (8)

Alright but not great
There are tons of textbooks on Precalculus like this one out there. Larson's is just another equally good textbook on the subject of calculus and Precalculus. However, I see no much uniqueness and innovations in any of the calculus books like this type. Richard Feynman, one of America's greatest physicists, once said most of the popular textbooks (on physics) were somewhat mediocre. I would recommend those who are aspired for an austere treatment of elementary mathematics, ie, pre-calculus and beginning calculus, to go for the book High-school mathematics by some Russian mathematicians. ISBN: 5030010114 This series is just so comprehensive with lucid explanations that every high school math teacher should take a look at it. It's both fun and benefitial to read books on math translated from another language.

Excellent and highly recommended!
I also agree that this is one of the best textbooks about calculus available online. Everything is explained very well and the CD-ROM definitely makes it easier for the students. I highly recommend it.

One of the top two precalculus texts available
There is a mind-numbing sameness to precalculus and calculus textbooks, and this book is more of the same. The coverage starts with real numbers, exponents, expressions and solving equations. The basic principles of functions, polynomial, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions, solving systems of equations, sequences, series, counting and probability, analytic geometry and limits follow this. I personally can do without the chapter on limits, when I teach precalculus, I am hard pressed to cover the other material. There is plenty of time to cover limits in calculus and it provides a better context. There are a large number of exercises at the end of each section and solutions to the odd-numbered ones are included in an appendix. As appears to be the case with many books, some of the exercises could have been left out with no decline in quality. At times I suspect there is the mathematical equivalent of an "arms race" to see how many exercises can be included at the end of a chapter.
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Subjects:  1. Mathematics    2. Pre-Calculus    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Textbooks    5. Mathematics / Pre-Calculus   

Subjects:  1. Algebra    2. Algebra - General    3. Geometry, Analytic    4. Mathematics    5. Pre-Calculus    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Textbooks    8. Trigonometry    9. Elementary geometry & trigonometry    10. Mathematics / General   

Reviews (11)

Popular yet ordinary book!
Richard Feynman, one of America's greatest physicists, once said most of the popular textbooks (on physics) were somewhat mediocre. Larson has written one that is much better than the rest. everything is explained clearly. However, I would recommend those who are aspired for an austere treatment of elementary mathematics, ie, pre-calculus and beginning calculus, to go for the book High-school mathematics by some Russian mathematicians. ISBN: 5030010114 This series is just so comprehensive with lucid explanations that every high school math teacher should take a look at it. It's both fun and benefitial to read books on math translated from another language.

Piece of Sh**!
I have this book sadly for one of my classes.
A gem.But beware of Amazon bugs!
I reported them to Amazon months ago - nothing's changed.
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Subjects:  1. Algebra    2. General    3. Mathematics    4. Pre-Calculus    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Theory Of Functions    7. Calculus & mathematical analysis   

Reviews (3)

Horrible!!!
This book is so bad. I have to use it for my Trig class, and it is very unclear, your lucky if you get an example in the book, and its just horrible. Formuals and concepts are BARELY explained. I hate this book. It makes you totally depend on your teacher for help, becasue this won't do you any good.

Vague and Unclear
The textbook does not have central focus and all the formulas are not explained properly.The explanations are overbroad and vague and do not focus on the most important stuff. I would not recommend this textbook to any student. The two stars I give is for the nice paper it is printed on.

Needs improvement!
The explanations in this book could be more concise for students who have other assignments to study and fulfill. Throughout all my years in reading mathematical textbooks, this one does not head straight-to-the-point. The author spends more time introducing the subject than explaining how one step is derived from another in the examples, which leaves the student to spend time figuring how one concept abruptly transitions into the next. Aside from that, the exercise questions sometimes do not relate to the examples given in the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Mathematics    2. Pre-Calculus    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Trigonometry    5. Elementary geometry & trigonometry    6. Mathematics / Pre-Calculus   

Reviews (6)

Good book
I used this book in my home school this year and all three of my kids tested many grade levels above average.Great book.

A Very Enthusiastic Review
Over the years, I have purchased countless "learning guides" for my two daughters. We always started with the best intentions but quickly became bored and found an excuse to try something else.
Worth Every Penny!Highly recommended.
This is by far the best math workbook we've ever used.It comes with Teachers Handbook and Answers.It has review skills before each lesson and a quick lesson on how to do the problems on each page.I wish I had found this one long ago, before I wasted my money on the others. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arithmetic    2. Education / Teaching    3. General    4. Mathematics    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Teaching Methods & Materials - Mathematics    7. Teaching Methods & Materials - Workbooks    8. Mathematics / General   

Reviews (2)

Good-but wordy
The book was very helpful in helping me to finally learn Algebra. My complaint though is that the wording is too much and very confusing to understand for anyone who has a hard time with math.Get rid of the large pictures/graphs, study tips and objectives and maybe this book wouldn't be so big and heavy.The examples were what saved me because they were well defined and I wouldn't have understood what to do based on the explanations. Overall a good book.

Excellent book
I used this book for several math courses at DeVry Online. I am dyscalculic and this book helped me immensely ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Algebra    2. Algebra - General    3. Arithmetic    4. Mathematics    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Mathematics / Algebra / General   

Reviews (4)

This book totally helps!
Being a mathophobe, I was terrified when I registered for the class.But since I had to buy this book for my math class, then math all of a sudden was really easy!I actually understood the WORD problems with ease and what not!!The only thing that keeps me from giving it a 5 star rating is that there are many typos in the book, especially in chapter 6.2:there are at least three typos in this specific area if and when you are assigned the odd problems; and what's more, if you want a good laugh, check out pages 455-456.You'll see what I mean!

Buy this book now!
I am a 34 year old student that has struggled with math my entire life. I have failed many math classes in college because I just did not clearly understand how to do the math problems. I enrolled at Harbor College in Willmington, CA this fall 2003 and purchased this required book. To my amazement, this book is written in a way that a dummie like me can easily learn all the lessons. I now have a class grade of 95 and FINALLY because of this book, I can do algebra word problems, and I understand how to check them. I am even tutoring some of my classmates, WOW! thats not too bad for a dummie! I thank the author for creating the best prealgebra book I have ever seen. It is written STEP-BY-STEP and in the most basic format that can be explained. Please only purchase this book. You will not be dissapointed and you will pass prealgebra. All thanks to K. Elayn Martin-Gay, what a job you did putting the book together!

Substantial, and Rich exercises
This workbook is packed with a lot of examples and rich exercises; which are presented in incremental development fashion.My two children, 10 and 11 year old, have high math aptitude; two grades beyond their average level. I bought this workbook to help them in the transition to algebra and trigonometry.Theyare able to go thru most of these execises in one summer.I must admit the quality of the lessons and exercises have this quite enjoyable and intuitive for my children to absorb. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arithmetic    2. Mathematics    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Algebra    5. Mathematics / General   

Reviews (5)

You do not NEED this book.
I have had the misfortune of teaching from this book and I have also had to take courses from this authors other more advanced math books.
Absolutely Awful
This is the absolute worst text book I have ever had the misfortune of using, in any subject. Hungerford only provides part of the information you actually need to do the problems, and the answers in the back of the book are not reliable. I was forced to use this book for a class in college. If you have a similar misfortune, GET THE SUPPLEMENT. It is the only thing that will help to keep you sane. Make sure you check out the amazing resources availible online, like purplemath.com. This book sure won't be of any help. My professor is just like the author, so it made for a very difficult class.

Good book, although the images are not to my tastes
This book is different from many others, as the graphing calculator is an integral part of the instruction. A large number of the images are nothing more than what a graphing calculator will present when asked to plot a segment of a particular function. Since the material is standard precalculus, the decision whether to adopt this text will be largely based on your opinion concerning the role of graphing calculators in mathematics education.While there is no question that graphing calculators can be of help, they can also be a hindrance. Graphs are just another tool that enable us to better understand the concepts and are not a complete solution. All mathematicians are aware that diagrams can be inadequate and at times appear to be accurate when they are not.
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Subjects:  1. Functions    2. Mathematics    3. Pre-Calculus    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Calculus & mathematical analysis    6. Mathematics / Pre-Calculus   

Subjects:  1. Algebra    2. Arithmetic    3. General    4. Mathematics    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Mathematics / General   

Reviews (6)

Missing pages
The book is in good condition, however it is missing many pages.This is not helpful.It was represented as only slight wear from use.This is disappointing for a student to discover while working.

Just the basics
The text 'Basic College Mathematics' is used at the college where I tutor in mathematics as the foundational course for mathematics in all programmes.While many students test out of this level into algebraic topics, for those students whose mathematics is decades old, or was never perfect in the beginning, this book offers a fairly clear and systematic approach to mathematics topics. AWSOME!
Super Kids restored my faith in buying over the internet. Book was perfect and got me fast! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Advanced    2. Arithmetic    3. Mathematics    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Mathematics / General   

Reviews (7)

Great Teaching Substitute
My teacher for calculus was so bad and couldn't teach. The only wayI understood the concepts for the class was through this book. I was expecting a confusing book from what the reviews said, but this is one of the best math books I've used.

Fine book
This book explains concepts well. My college professor was Russian and I never understood anything he taught.. this book saved my grade in that course.

I agree...its stinks
Nobody likes this book and for good reason. Its the worst math book ever. Others have gone into more detail than I; I just want to corroborate thier statements. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Mathematics    3. Pre-Calculus    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Mathematics / Pre-Calculus   

Reviews (74)

If you like this book ...
If you like this book, I highly recommend that you read it in the original binary. As with most translations, conversion from binary to decimal frequently causes a loss of information and, unfortunately, it's the most significant digits that are lost in the conversion.

An entire library in one handy volume
This is amazing. Where else can you find ONE volume with every book ever written (albeit in encrypted form). All one needs to do is to find the proper key and your book magically appears.
Mixed blessing
Although the plot was appropriately paced and the characterisation inventive, I found it hard to suspend disbelief in a couple of places, and frankly the sex scenes were awkward and clumsily written, adding very little of value to the plot. It's not a bad read, but I'd prefer a Neil Gaiman. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arithmetic    2. General    3. Mathematics    4. Numbers, Random    5. Probability & Statistics - General    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Tables    8. Non-Classifiable    9. Probability & statistics   

Reviews (1)

Excellent Self Study Guide for the Math ILITERATE
This book taught me, a 32 year old electrical contractor, enough math to help my 15 year old son in algebra, and finally understand the science I learned in High School. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Algebra - General    2. Arithmetic    3. Mathematics    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Mathematics / General   

Subjects:  1. Algebra - General    2. Arithmetic    3. General    4. Mathematics    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Mathematical foundations    7. Mathematics / General   

Subjects:  1. Algebra - Elementary    2. Arithmetic    3. Algebra    4. Mathematics / General    5. Mathematics    6. Science/Mathematics   

Reviews (1)

Decent at best.
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 manydifferent math books, and I would not use this one unless you are teaachingextremely bright students. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Algebra    2. Algebra - General    3. Mathematics    4. Pre-Calculus    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Trigonometry    7. Elementary geometry & trigonometry    8. Mathematics / Pre-Calculus