Algebra the Easy Way (Barron's Easy Way) [Paperback]

Douglas A. Downing (Author), Susan Detrich (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0812093933 | ISBN-13: 978-0812093933 | Publication Date: August 1996 | Edition: 3rd

It's an algebra text in the form of a fantasy novel, with the story's characters solving problems by using algebra. Readers discover the hows and whys of equations, negative numbers, exponents, roots and real numbers, algebraic expressions, functions, graphs, quadratic equations, polynomials, permutations and combinations, matrices and determinants, mathematical induction, and imaginary numbers. 100+ drawings & diagrams.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

ALL THE ESSENTIALS IN ONE CLEAR VOLUME

High school-level algebra in the form of a fantasy novel

Solving practical problems with algebra

Hundreds of problems solved and explained

Diagrams and amusing line illustrations

Equations

Exponents

Polynomials

Permutations and Combinations

Matrices and Determinants

Mathematical Induction . . . and much more --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 334 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; 3rd edition (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812093933
• ISBN-13: 978-0812093933
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 7.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #496,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A long-winded but moderately good introduction..., December 2, 2000

By 

Kersi Von Zerububbel "Kersi" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Algebra the Easy Way (Barron's Easy Way) (Paperback)

I bought this book because the story format intrigued me. However, as I went along the narrative wore thin. The exercises are good and there are some very clever ways in which concepts are introduced. This book can be a great tool if only some of the narrative can be shortened. If you need a book that gets to the point quickly and succinctly go with "Practical Algebra: A self-teaching guide" by Selby et al.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal introduction to algebra for smart kids, March 18, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Algebra the Easy Way (Barron's Easy Way) (Paperback)

The device of attaching math problems to a story line, and showing the efforts of the characters to solve them, is the key to this book's unique appeal for younger kids who want to get into algebra (and can handle the abstract thinking required). It captures their interest and can be read relatively fast, though the algebra is not watered-down so the book naturally does require intelligence and careful attention. The story line presentation guarantees that the focus is on insight, a characteristic that sharply distinguishes this "Easy Way" series of books from typical high-school or college texts.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for teaching young kids! and the young at heart, February 7, 2002

By 

Eugene Wong (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Algebra the Easy Way (Barron's Easy Way) (Paperback)

If you have (or are) that extra smart young kid, who always seems to be a grade (year) or two ahead of his/her class in maths, this book is certainly going to be perfect for him/her (as it was for me). This was the book that got me interested in Algebra. Downing takes the reader on an adventure, explaining the basics of algebra through a story, and progressing almost to the very apex of general algebra. (He doesn't cover every single aspect of general algebra - I recall one example: Synthetic Division, there are others.) But for a child, who's ahead of the rest, you don't need to have everything just yet.

This book certainly won't appeal to adults or older teens (who will easily get bored and turned off by the underlying story), but it was a great introduction for me when I was just turning the decade mark. It really helps you to understand Algebra as more than a bunch of things to memorise; it makes you see applications in every aspect of life. Once you (or your child) have finished this book, you'll be thirsting for more, and that's when you move on to a more traditional textbook to fill in the "blanks". After that, algebra will be running through your veins. With this solid foundation, trigonometry and calculus will be much easier.

(The author also wrote similar books on Trigonometry and Calculus. The Calculus book was quite poor because the story began to intrude on explaining the concepts properly. [By the time you are ready to take calculus on, you should use a traditional textbook - like Anton or Thomas.] The trigonometry book was quite good, but I feel none can match the brilliance of this book.)