College Algebra: Graphs And Models [Hardcover]

Marvin L. Bittinger (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321279093 | ISBN-13: 978-0321279095 | Publication Date: January 2005 | Edition: 3rd

College Algebra: Graphs and Models, 2/e covers college-level algebra and is appropriate for a one-term, graphing calculator required, college algebra course. A course in intermediate algebra is a prerequisite for the text, although Chapter R provides sufficient review to unify the diverse backgrounds of most students. The approach of this text is more interactive than most precalculus texts and the goal of the author team is to enhance the learning process through the use of technology and to provide as much support and help for students as possible.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The approach of this text is more interactive than most precalculus texts and the goal of the author team is to enhance the learning process through the use of technology and to provide as much support and help for students as possible. In Connecting the Concepts, comprehension is streamlined and retention is maximized when the student views a concept in visual, rather than paragraph, form. Zeros, Solutions, and X-Intercepts Theme Carried Throughout helps students visualize and connect the following three concepts when they are solving problems: the real zeros of the function, the solutions of the associated equation, and the x-coordinates of the x-intercept of the graph of the function. Each chapter begins with a relevant application highlighting how concepts presented in the chapter can be put to use in the real world. These applications are accompanied by numerical tables, equations, and grapher windows to show students the many different ways in which problems can be examined. End-of-Chapter material includes a summary and review of properties and formulas along with a complete set of review exercises. Review exercises also include synthesis, critical thinking, and writing exercises. The answers to all of the review exercises appear in the back of the text and have text section references to further aid students. For anyone interested in learning algebra. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 768 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley; 3rd edition (January 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321279093
• ISBN-13: 978-0321279095
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear and easy to follow., October 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: College Algebra with Graphing Calulator (Hardcover)

I read this book as a refresher of the high school algebra I'd forgotten (or slept through). This book flows well from one topic to the next. Unlike my high school textbooks, this book carefully covers everything you need to know before the practice questions - I never felt lost or hopelessly confused.

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the worst math book ever....., December 8, 2011

By 

bobowha - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: College Algebra: Graphs and Models, 4th Edition (Hardcover)

.... but probably not the best, either.

I purchased this book for an online college algebra course. The college book store only sold the book with MyMathLab included... for four times what I paid for a used copy in good condition on Amazon! (We did not use MyMathLab at all, by the way. Check with your teachers to see if this is really necessary, as some colleges get kickbacks from textbook publishers for only selling new books, proprietary versions of books, or books with unnecessary access codes.)

I'm terrible at math. Add to that the fact that my online course included no video lectures, little discussion, and almost no help from the teacher, and what it added up to is essentially an independent study course. The tests were online, but that's about it. The main resource for my class was this textbook...... and I got an A.

So, by reading through the book and working out the odd numbered problems, I DID learn quite a bit. (The book includes the answers to odd-numbered problems only... This is pretty typical of math books.) However, I had to look up additional examples and information on the Internet in order to understand many topics. I do think the book could be improved in the following ways:

1) The book combines steps in several places, making it difficult or confusing to figure out how the author got from one step to another. This is particularly true in the sections about finding the squares and matrices (chapters 3 and 6). I would like it much better if the book went through the problems step-by-step.

2) It uses unconventional approaches to solving problems. My husband is working on a doctorate in engineering. He's very good at math and has a lot of experience using algebra. He tried to explain to me how to do some problems when I had questions. His explanations weren't much help, though, because they were totally different from the book. When he looked at the book, he said he had never seen problems done the way they are done in this book. That isn't necessarily a bad thing - just because an approach is not often taught does not mean it is wrong; it just means that you may have to learn different ways to solve similar problems in other classes.

3) Formulas and equations are sometimes difficult to find. The text is somewhat dense and specific information is not always well-highlighted. While theorems are set aside in colored boxes, equations are not. It would be nice if there were an index of formulas, theorems, and equations. Also, later chapters in the book occasionally reference topics from previous chapters. It would be VERY helpful if the author would cite the chapter and section where the topic was previously discussed in the book and if the book would re-print all relevant formulas in the later sections of the book. Instead, if I needed to use a formula from chapter 3 to do a problem in chapter 7,for example, I had to scan through several pages of dense material in chapters 2, 3, and 4 to find the necessary formula.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very happy with transaction!, August 13, 2011

By 

Tiffany - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: College Algebra: Graphs And Models (Hardcover)

I contacted the company about the urgency of getting my textbook on time, and they let me know right away that they would try the best they could. Each time I sent them a message they responded. The textbook was described at "Used" and in "Good" condition with random pencil markings. For the cheap price I expected the book to be very worn out, but it was in great condition. All in all it was a great experience. I would definitely buy from them again.