Dictionary of Mathematics Terms (Barron's Professional Guides) [Paperback]

Douglas Downing (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764141392 | ISBN-13: 978-0764141393 | Publication Date: July 1, 2009 | Edition: 3rd

This quick-reference dictionary for math students, teachers, engineers, and statisticians defines more than 700 terms related to algebra, geometry, analytic geometry, trigonometry, probability, statistics, logic, and calculus. It also lists and defines mathematical symbols, includes a brief table of integrals, and describes how to derive key theorems. Filled with illustrative diagrams and equations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series, Inc.; 3rd edition (July 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764141392
• ISBN-13: 978-0764141393
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best mathematics dictionaries for the last years of high school and the first two years of college, 3rd ed., July 28, 2009

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This review is from: Dictionary of Mathematics Terms (Barron's Professional Guides) (Paperback)

This is a review of the 3rd edition (2009) which is is a fairly significant update to the previous 2nd edition (1995). Although an excellent mathematics dictionary, that edition was somewhat limited in scope.

This edition's primary strengths are its compact size, allowing it to easily fit in a carry bag or computer case, and it's really excellent definitions. While not as comprehensive as some other mathematics dictionaries available in paperback (see below), this dictionary frequently provides more "user-friendly" definitions then its cohorts. Its main competitors are: "Collins Web-Linked Dictionary: Mathematics", "McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Mathematics", "Oxford Concise Dictionary of Mathematics", and "The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics". Of the five, this dictionary is the one most suitable for students in the last two years of high school and the first two years of college. It generally has the easiest to understand definitions and clearest explanations of basic terms, although its definitions are not as rigorous.

Its primary deficiencies are its lack of pronunciation guidance, available in the McGraw-Hill Dictionary, and its somewhat limited coverage of mathematical terms, e.g., compared to the Collins Dictionary with over 9,000 terms defined. This edition, although almost the same physical size as the 2nd edition, is more comprehensive than its predecessor, but at the expensive of a smaller font size. As an example of the extended coverage here compared to the previous edition, there were two entries between 'Abelian Group" and "Acceleration" in the earlier edition compared to four entries now.

Note that some reviews of the 2nd edition mention deficiencies present in that edition that have been eliminated in this edition. For example, "Descartes' rule of signs", "golden ratio", etc. are not missing from the 3rd edition, as they were in the 2nd edition.

This edition still retains a vinyl cover. However, my copy of the previous edition has sewn in signatures, while the 3rd edition's pages are glued.

No single mathematics dictionary can satisfy all needs, and having more than one can provide different perspectives. However, if you're looking for a portable mathematics dictionary for the last years of high school and the first two years of college this is one of the best.

Considering the major improvements to this 3rd edition and its relatively low cost, its probably a more worthwhile purchase than its predecessor 2nd edition, even if that edition can be obtained at a considerably lower cost.