Synopses & Reviews
You know that geometry is a math thing, right? You remember that much from school. You also probably remember that it has something to do with circles, squares, diameters, angles, and all those other terms that floated in (and probably right out of ) your head as you were cramming for all those geometry tests way back when. But your math teacher probably never told you that you'd actually use that stuff in real life – if he had, maybe you would have paid more attention!
Well, don't fret. You're in the same boat as almost everyone else. Geometry has about a million (a rough estimate) uses in real life – for example, you may have some home improvement projects you want to tackle; you have to know how to cut the wood at certain angles to make them fit together. ( Bet you didn't realize that carpenters have to be experts at geometry as well!) With a basic knowledge of geometry, building some bookshelves for your kid's room becomes so much easier.
Geometry For Dummies can give you that basic understanding of geometry, and you might actually have a little fun along the way. Written in a breezy, easy-to-understand, non-textbook-like style, this book helps you with all your geometrical dilemmas.
In Geometry For Dummies, you'll find out about the following topics and more:
- Understanding lines and angles
- Working up a geometry proof
- All those funny shapes: circles, rectangles, triangles, and the ever versatile polygon
- Having your Pi and eating it, too
- Taking the next step into trigonometry
- Doing someone a solid: Exploring prisms, pyramids, cylinders, cones, and spheres
- Top Ten list of cool careers that use geometry and tips for making geometry easier
- Appendices with formulas, theorems, and other helpful geometry resources
So whatever your reason for wanting to learn geometry – a home improvement project, helping your kid with his or her homework, or just a fascination with funny shapes – Geometry For Dummies is just what you need to recall what you learned in school and put it to good use.
Synopsis
Get un-stumped in a hurry!
Proofs made easier
Make friends with lines and angles, theorems and postulates and prove it
The proof is in the pudding and the parallelogram, and sometimes the rhombus. With this friendly guide, you'll soon be devouring proofs with relish. You'll find out how a proof's chain of logic works and discover some basic secrets for getting past rough spots. Before you know it, you'll be proving triangles congruent, calculating circumference, using formulas, and serving up pi.
Discover how to:
Identify lines, angles, and planes
Calculate the area of a triangle
Figure the volume and surface area of a pyramid
Bisect angles and construct perpendicular lines
Work with 3D shapes
Synopsis
Geometry proofs may trip up more students than any other single topic in all of high school math.
Geometry For Dummies,2nd Edition, tackles this problem head on, providing proven strategies for solving geometry proofs when students are stumped.
Students need help getting a handle on what seems to them to be a totally foreign and mysterious process. This book presents a dozen powerful strategies that make proofs much easier for the students who struggle with them. This book contains dozens of examples of places in a proof where a student is likely to get stuck and then provides tips for how to get unstuck.
Mark Ryan has a proven ability to explain concepts in a way that gives students the clearest, easiest, and best way of understanding a concept. For example, instead of routinely listing the properties of various quadrilaterals (four-sided figures) as most geometry books do, relying on rote memory for student learning, Geometry For Dummies, 2nd Edition, explains how these properties (and others) can be learned in a way that fosters understanding.
This new edition also includes detailed explanations of how to work example problems, pinpointing areas that can trick students into misunderstanding the true nature of the problem.
Synopsis
Includes a handy glossary of geometric terms for easy reference
The pain-free way to explore geometry and come out smiling All right, you've got to know some geometry. Relax! With the help of expert Wendy Arnone, you'll tackle everything from points and planes to triangles, proofs, and more. This friendly guide explains it all in easy-to-understand, no-nonsense language.
Discover how to: Explore postulates and theorems Calculate area, circumference, and more Solve linear equations Determine ratios Work with coordinates and loci Understand trigonometry
The Dummies Way Explanations in plain English "Get in, get out" information Icons and other navigational aids Tear-out cheat sheet Top ten lists A dash of humor and fun
Get smart! www.dummies.com Sign up for daily eTips at www.dummiesdaily.com Choose from among 33 different subject categories Get news you can use on everything from money to health to computers
About the Author
'A graduate of Brown University and the University of Wisconsin Law School,
Mark Ryanhas been teaching math since 1989. He runs The Math Center (www.themathcenter.com) in Winnetka, Illinois, where he teaches high school math courses, including an introduction to geometry and a workshop for parents based on a program he developed,
The 10 Habits of Highly Successful Math Students.In high school, he twice scored a perfect 800 on the math portion of the SAT, and he not only knows mathematics, he has a gift for explaining it in plain English. He practiced law for four years before deciding he should do something he enjoys and use his natural talent for mathematics. Ryan is a member of the Authors Guild and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Geometry For Dummies,2nd Edition, is Ryan’s fifth book. Everyday Math for Everyday Life(Grand Central Publishing) was published in 2002; Calculus For Dummies(Wiley), in 2003; Calculus Workbook For Dummies(Wiley), in 2005; and Geometry Workbook For Dummies(Wiley), in 2006. His math books have sold over 200,000 copies.'
Table of Contents
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Introduction.Part I: Getting Started with Geometry Basics.
Chapter 1: Introducing Geometry.
Chapter 2: Building Your Geometric Foundation.
Chapter 3: Sizing Up Segments and Analyzing Angles.
Part II: Introducing Proofs.
Chapter 4: Prelude to Proofs.
Chapter 5: Your Starter Kit of Easy Theorems and Short Proofs.
Chapter 6: The Ultimate Guide to Tackling a Longer Proof.
Part III: Triangles: Polygons of the Three-Sided Variety.
Chapter 7: Grasping Triangle Fundamentals.
Chapter 8: Regarding Right Triangles.
Chapter 9: Completing Congruent Triangle Proofs.
Part IV: Polygons of the Four-or-More Sided Variety.
Chapter 10: The Seven Wonders of the Quadrilateral World.
Chapter 11: Proving That You’ve Got a Particular Quadrilateral.
Chapter 12: Polygon Formulas: Area, Angles, and Diagonals.
Chapter 13: Similarity: Same Shape, Different Size.
Part V: Working with Not-So-Vicious Circles.
Chapter 14: Coming Around to Circle Basics.
Chapter 15: Circle Formulas and Theorems.
Part VI: Going Deep with 3-D Geometry.
Chapter 16: 3-D Space: Proofs in a Higher Plane of Existence.
Chapter 17: Getting a Grip on Solid Geometry.
Part VII: Placement, Points, and Pictures: Alternative Geometry Topics.
Chapter 18: Coordinate Geometry.
Chapter 19: Changing the Scene with Geometric Transformations.
Chapter 20: Locating Loci and Constructing Constructions.
Part VIII: The Part of Tens.
Chapter 21: Ten Things to Use as Reasons in Geometry Proofs.
Chapter 22: Ten Cool Geometry Problems.
Part IX: Appendixes.
Appendix A: Formulas and Other Important Stuff You Should Know.
Appendix B: Glossary.
Index.\n
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