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Basic Mathematics

by Serge Lang (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 10 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0387967875
ISBN-10: 0387967877
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 496 pages
  • Publisher: Springer (August 13, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0387967877
  • ISBN-13: 978-0387967875
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #384,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 starsPreparation for college mathematics from a mathematician's standpoint.
By N. F. Taussig on October 30, 2005
Format: Paperback
Serge Lang's text presents the topics that he feels students should understand before commencing their study of college mathematics. As such, working through this text is a good way for you to supplement what you learned in high school with material that will aid you in studying mathematics in college. Therefore, I particularly recommend it for prospective mathematics majors.

The material in the text is well motivated and clearly presented. While Lang explains how to perform routine calculations, he focuses on the underlying structure of the mathematics. The material is developed logically and results are proved throughout the text. However, the presentation of the material is marred by numerous errors, most, but not all, of which are typographical.

The problems range from routine calculations to proofs. Many of the problems are challenging and some require considerable ingenuity to solve. Answers to some of the exercises are presented in the back of the text. I should warn you that if you are used to artificial textbook problems in which the correct solution is a "nice" number, you will find that is not the case here. Also, it is useful to read through the problem sets before you begin solving them so that you can do related problems at the same time.

The first section of the book covers algebra. Properties of the integers, rational numbers, and real numbers are examined and compared. There is also more routine material on linear equations, systems of linear equations, powers and roots, inequalities, and quadratic equations.

A brief discussion of logic precedes a section on geometry. Basic assumptions about distance, angles, and right triangles are used as a starting point rather than Euclid's postulates.Read more ›
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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 starsA nice introduction to mathematics
By FePe on January 16, 2006
Format: Paperback
Serge Lang died September 2005, and it was a great loss for many people; he has been a prominent mathematician, who has published many book and articles. He had a very good memory, and it is said that he wrote a book in the course of one weekend on a bet. I don’t know if that’s true, but you can sense that he feels at home writing about mathematics.

Basic Mathematics is suited both for the younger readers who hasn’t begun high school yet, and for older readers who needs to refresh their skills. I believe that many people would benefit working through this book before starting in high school, as it will ease and speed up things. The book is structured in a way that it clearly brings the most important of the mathematics which later is to be used.

The book has four parts: Algebra, Intuitive Geometry, Coordinate Geometry, and Miscellanous. There are 17 chapter spread over these four parts, which each deals with an important mathematical subject. Of mention are “Functions”, “Operations on Points”, “Distance and Angles”, and “Linear Equations”. It’s mainly basic mathematical subjects, which are dealt with in an “advanced way”, so the author doesn’t look down on his reader. Nothing is dwelt upon, but nothing important isn’t absent either.

Exercises is included in nearly all sections, so that the reader can train himself in both a manipulative and a theoretical level. Som sections has many exercises (which can be tough at times), while some has only three or four. The difficulty is raised, of course, but if you just do the exercises, you’ll notice how well the book is structured in that basic techniques are used later in more advanced subjects.

Recommended.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 starsLegitimate book, great for self study.
By Freeze on July 5, 2012
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This book is ultimately for creating a strong foundation for calculus. "Basic" mathematics can be used lightly, as it's still relatively challenging, but by no means difficult. You'll spend time trying to understand proofs (by the way, he doest an excellent job of incoorporating proofs into the learning process, which is extremely necessary if you want to fully understand math) and figuring out some of the more challenging exercise problems, but the book is by no means painful to go through.

I'll be a junior in high school next year, and was recommended studying this book by a math professor in Belgium (yes, really). The biggest thing to know about math, at least in the earlier levels, is that it is cumulative. You will be absolutely and forever f'ed if you go into Calculus with hardly any knowledge of algebra. That's why, if you find yourself struggling in math, or need to strengthen your foundations, you need to go throuh this book.

It's excellent for self studying, which is what I'm currently doing this summer. When you take this book on at your own pace, and can spend more time on each section as required, and breeze through other sections that you have a firm grasp on, you'll find yourself enjoying the book. Serge Lang was an excellent mathematician (was... only because he is dead) and his books are well written and devoted to helping you understand the material.

Remember though, that just because the book claims to be covering basic mathematics, that you won't be challenged. It can be tough, and especially when you're at the high school level, the mathematics won't seem like they're "basic", but more like, "hey, I just learned that last year/this year/whenever.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsBought as a gift for my husband to brush up ...

Bought as a gift for my husband to brush up on his math skills, he was very impressed with the readability of this book.

Published 1 month ago by Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

This book helps fill the gap between first year Algebra to first year Calculus.

Published 14 months ago by Keith Grubbs
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is how math looks like.

Never really learned math until studied using this book. Awesome. Serge Lang make everything become simple and intuitive. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Lucas
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Math Text

This text is awesome. It has wonderful explanations of mathematics ranging from simple addition/subtraction properties to working with polar format. Read more

Published 20 months ago by TK
5.0 out of 5 starsAwesome book really helpful to supplement my mathematical knowledge...

If you are going back to college get this book it covers almost everything you need to know minus some trig. and things like summations. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Mary J Sixta
5.0 out of 5 starsK-12 Mathematics from an Advanced Standpoint

Lang's Basic Mathematics is a famous mathematician's look at everything a well-prepared high school student ought to know about math before starting calculus. Read more

Published on June 22, 2003 by Karl M. Bunday
4.0 out of 5 starsExcellent overview

Serge Lang's Basic Mathematics is an excellent overview of algebra and geometry. If you are in high school needing a tutorial primer, or an adult continuing their education after... Read more

Published on March 5, 2000

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