Customer Reviews

Algebra Unplugged

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having made it through college in the 70's without taking a math course, I am now wanting to learn algebra. I took it in high school and I was great at memorizing formulas. I now want to know the basis of math and I started with Algebra.

Algebra Unplugged is the book that I have dreamed of. If I had this in high school I could have gone a long way. Every parent should buy it for their school age children and even read it themselves. It stresses concepts not formulas. It shows you why we do the things we do in algebra.

After having it a week, I was solving polynomial equations on a drink napkin while flying from back east.

Great book! Math teachers - have a bake sale and buy this for all of your students!

My main problem with algebra is that no one ever told me what it really is, besides a bunch of equations. I also couldn't understand why factoring was so important.

I'm happy to report that this book tells you what algebra is for and why factoring is important, and much more, and does do in a way that even the math-challenged can easily grasp. It also reassures the reader by saying that it's okay to need to read and reread the book to get a firm grasp on concepts. It is possibly the only math book I have ever read that didn't make me feel like an idiot, make giant assumptions, or skimp on the explanations. Although I don't think I will ever be close friends with math, this book makes it possible to negotiate an armed truce and (I hope) to succeed in college algebra after 10 years of doing no math more strenuous than balancing my checkbook.

The only drawback to this book is the embarrassing number of typos, but they detract only slightly from the text.

This book, together with Practical Algebra, has bolstered my confidence, as I return to school after many years, for my MBA. Not having taken a math class in 30 years, my skills were beyond rusty. Algebra Unplugged is a light-hearted look at algebra concepts -- especially for the non-math majors among us -- and was a great start. I think I read through it in just a few days. The only problem for me was that it didn't contain any sample problems or self-tests, so I added Practical Algebra and that really helped.

As a student who somehow stumbled through algebra, calc and differenial equations I wish that this book had existed when I started out. It revealed "secrets" of algebra to me that would have made my life much easier had I known about it. Have you ever wondered whether algebra is just some game? Read this book to find out the rules.

I couldn't put this book down and ended up finishing it in 3 days. It was a nice easy read with just the right mixture of humor and facts. I suggest that anyone who will take, is taking or has taken an algebra course should read this book. They give you great insight without pounding you on the head with a bunch of homework!

THIS HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS ON ALGEBRA CONCEPTS THAT THERE IS ON THE MARKET. I AM OVER 60 YRS. OLD AND WANTED TO STUDY ALGEBRA. I ONLY WISH THERE EXISTED MATH TEACHERS WITH THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE CONCEPTS AS CAN THESE GENTELMEN. WOULD GIVE 10 STARS IF POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!

Kenn Amdahl has succeeded in making algebra look like a game and maybe he is right.

I recommend this book to anybody who has the slightest interest in the subject. It reads almost like listening to your mathematically inclined buddy exchanging a few words on mathematics over a beer; that's what I felt, two buddies getting together and just shooting breeze over mathematics.

It certainly made me conscious of paying more attention to VOCABULARY and CONCEPTS and less on manipulation.

You won't regret the time you spent on this book nor the money!

Best of all the authors explain what it is you're doing when you do algebra. Why doesn't it make sense in the real world? Because it's a game. The conventions may seem arbitrary but the rules are not. The authors multiply things like tenors and pigs and divide them by all kinds of non-mathematical things in order to illustrate the logic of mathematical thinking. They also show that people are thinking algebraically even when they don't know they're doing so. This is a great book if you took algebra a long time ago and are not sure you remember the differences between the various mathematical disciplines. It's also good if you are the type who wants everything explained to you in math, rather than taking it on faith. It won't replace the standard textbook, but it will show you how to use it.

If you have a daughter who loves to read but hates math, BUY HER THIS BOOK. She will soon be laughing instead of crying over her math homework, and she'll understand not just how to do math but why the rules work.

This is the single most best learning book for math that i ever read. I am starting collage and math is a requirement for my major. I have been out of school for 20 years and my math was very rusty. This book goes into great detail on the why and how too of everything in algebra. Anyone who doesn`t know anything about algebra if he or she was given this book will have a great understanding of algebra. if you have a son or daughter and wish them to learn algebra this is the book for you/them. It is a book that uses word instead of usless/vague examples that teach you nothing. only after the auther fully explains why something is done a math example is shown to put it into context. I hope they make a book on geometry and trig. i bought their book on calculus. I wish that all math books had more text instead of usless math examples. and teachers that understood that explanation of a problem instead of trial and error is a much better aproach. I would have given this book 1,000 stars if possible.I will always be gratefull to the authors of this book. Thank you very much for your hard work and understanding. Over all if you want a strong understanding of algebra buy this book!!!!!!!!!!!!

I see a lot of kids who need help with their homework. I've been using the explanations from Algebra Unplugged ever since I first read it, and I know those explanations work, especially with the kid (or adult) who has done example after example problem and still hasn't understood a thing.

Pair it up with a book of examples, because practice makes perfect, but don't be shy about starting here.