Review
This book is a collection of seventeen explorations in precalculus mathematics. Each exploration includes a brief exposition, some worked examples, and about ten student exercises. The explorations fall into five different units: sequences and series; number theory, including some theory of equations; complex numbers; combinatorics and probability; and matrices, linear systems, and linear programming.Since this book covers only part of a typical advanced algebra or precalculus syllabus, it is perhaps most useful as a teacher resource or a source of enrichment for students capable of independent work in mathematics. As such, the book has much to recommend it. Some of the more interesting problems involve using Stirling's formula for approximation of factorials, Verhulst's logistic equation, and Mendel's experiments. The author has included some short programs, with no more than about fifteen lines, that teachers and students might find useful. Such programs, for exampl! ! e, will enable the user to solve a linear Diophantine equation, find the sum of a sequence too long for the TI-83 memory, or spend several hours drawing the Julia set on the calculator screen.Albert Goetz, Ramaz School, New York, NY 10021. --
The Mathematics Teacher, Vol 92, #3, March 1999
About the Author
The author, Brendan Kelly, has written over 60 books for students from grade 1 through college. His books are sold throughout the world and his books for graphing calculators have been translated into Japanese. Brendan Kelly is Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics education at the University of Toronto. He has a Ph.D. in pure mathematics (number theory) and an Ed.D. degree in computer applications from OISE/UT.
