Synopses & Reviews
Tussy and Gustafson's fundamental goal is to have students read, write, and talk about mathematics through building a conceptual foundation in the language of mathematics. Their text blends instructional approaches that include vocabulary, practice, and well-defined pedagogy, along with an emphasis on reasoning, modeling, and communication skills. With an emphasis on the "language of algebra," they foster students' ability to translate English into mathematical expressions and equations. Tussy and Gustafson make learning easy for students with their five-step problem-solving approach: analyze the problem, form an equation, solve the equation, state the result, and check the solution. In addition, the text's widely acclaimed study sets at the end of every section are tailored to improve students' ability to read, write, and communicate mathematical ideas. The Third Edition of ELEMENTARY ALGEBRA also features a robust suite of online course management, testing, and tutorial resources for instructors and students. This includes BCA/iLrn Testing and Tutorial, vMentor live online tutoring, the Interactive Video Skillbuilder CD-ROM with MathCue, a Book Companion Web Site featuring online graphing calculator resources, and The Learning Equation (TLE), powered by BCA/iLrn. TLE provides a complete courseware package, featuring a diagnostic tool that gives instructors the capability to create individualized study plans. With TLE, a cohesive, focused study plan can be put together to help each student succeed in math.
Synopsis
Learn math the easy way with ELEMENTARY ALGEBRA! Study sets at the end of every chapter will improve your ability to read, write, and communicate mathematical ideas. Difficult concepts are made clear with a five-step approach to problem-solving: analyze the problem, form an equation, solve the equation, state the result, and check the solution. Prepare for exams with numerous resources located online and throughout the text such as live online tutoring, tutorials, the book companion website, chapter summaries, self-checks, practice sections, and reviews. Take advantage of the accompanying Video Skillbuilder CD-ROM that will save you class preparation time through video lessons, web quizzes, and chapter tests.
About the Author
Alan Tussy teaches all levels of developmental mathematics at Citrus College in Glendora, CA. He has written nine math books -- a paperback series and a hard-cover series. An extraordinary author, he is dedicated to his students' success, relentlessly meticulous, creative, and a visionary who maintains a keen focus on his students' greatest challenges. Alan received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Redlands and his Master of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from California State University, Los Angeles. He has taught up and down the curriculum from prealgebra to differential equations. He is currently focusing on the developmental math courses. Professor Tussy is a member of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges.R. David Gustafson is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Rock Valley College in Illinois and has also taught extensively at Rockford College and Beloit College. He is coauthor of several best-selling mathematics textbooks, including Gustafson/Frisk/Hughes, College Algebra, Gustafson/Karr/Massey's Beginning Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, Beginning and Intermediate Algebra: A Combined Approach, and the Tussy/Gustafson and Tussy/Gustafson/Koenig developmental mathematics series. His numerous professional honors include Rock Valley Teacher of the Year and Rockford's Outstanding Educator of the Year. He has been very active in AMATYC as a Midwest Vice-president and has been President of IMACC, AMATYC's Illinois affiliate. He earned a Master of Arts from Rockford College in Illinois, as well as a Master of Science from Northern Illinois University.
Table of Contents
1. AN INTRODUCTION TO ALGEBRA. Describing Numerical Relationships. Fractions. The Real Numbers. Adding Real Numbers. Subtracting Real Numbers. Multiplying and Dividing Real Numbers. Exponents and Order of Operations. Algebraic Expressions. Accent on Teamwork. Key Concept. Chapter Review. Chapter Test. 2. EQUATIONS, INEQUALITIES, AND PROBLEM SOLVING. Solving Equations. Problem Solving. Simplifying Algebraic Expressions. More About Solving Equations. Formulas. More About Problem Solving. Solving Inequalities. Accent on Teamwork. Key Concept. Chapter Review. Chapter Test. Cumulative Review Exercises. 3. LINEAR EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES IN TWO VARIABLES. Graphing Using the Rectangular Coordinate System. Graphing Linear Equations. More About Graphing Linear Equations. The Slope of a Line. Slope-Intercept Form. Point-Slope Form. Graphing Linear Inequalities. Accent on Teamwork. Key Concept. Chapter Review. Chapter Test. Cumulative Review Exercises. 4. EXPONENTS AND POLYNOMIALS. Rules for Exponents. Zero and Negative Exponents. Scientific Notation. Polynomials. Adding and Subtracting Polynomials. Multiplying Polynomials. Special Products. Division of Polynomials. Accent on Teamwork. Key Concept. Chapter Review. Chapter Test. Cumulative Review Exercises. 5. FACTORING AND QUADRATIC EQUATIONS. The Greatest Common Factor; Factoring by Grouping. Factoring Trinomials of the Form x2 + bx + c. Factoring Trinomials of the Form ax2 + bx + c. Factoring Perfect Square Trinomials and Differences of Two Squares. Factoring Sums and Differences of Two Cubes. A Factoring Strategy. Solving Quadratic Equations by Factoring. Accent on Teamwork. Key Concept. Chapter Review. Chapter Test. Cumulative Review Exercises. 6. RATIONAL EXPRESSIONS AND EQUATIONS. Simplifying Rational Expressions. Multiplying and Dividing Rational Expressions. Addition and Subtraction with Like Denominator; Least Common Denominators. Addition and Subtraction with Unlike Denominators. Simplifying Complex Fractions. Solving Rational Equations. Problem Solving Using Rational Equations. Proportions and Similar Triangles. Accent on Teamwork. Key Concept. Chapter Review. Chapter Test. Cumulative Review Exercises. 7. SOLVING SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES. Solving Systems of Equations by Graphing. Solving Systems of Equations by Substitution. Solving Systems of Equations by Elimination. Problem Solving Using Systems of Equations. Solving Systems of Linear Inequalities. Accent on Teamwork. Key Concept. Chapter Review. Chapter Test. Cumulative Review Exercises. 8. RADICAL EXPRESSIONS AND EQUATIONS. An Introduction to Square Roots. Simplifying Radical Expressions. Adding and Subtracting Radical Expressions. Multiplying and Dividing Radical Expressions. Solving Radical Equations. Higher Roots and Rational Exponents. Accent on Teamwork. Key Concept. Chapter Review. Chapter Test. Cumulative Review Exercises. 9. SOLVING QUADRATIC EQUATIONS; FUNCTIONS. The Square Root Property; Completing the Square. The Quadratic Formula. Complex Numbers. Graphing Quadratic Equations. An Introduction to Functions. Variation. Accent on Teamwork. Key Concept. Chapter Review. Chapter Test. Cumulative Review Exercises. Appendix I: Statistics. Appendix II: Roots and Powers. Appendix IIII: Answers to Selected Exercises.