Finite Mathematics (8th Edition) [Hardcover]

Margaret L. Lial (Author), Raymond N. Greenwell (Author), Nathan P. Ritchey (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 032122826X | ISBN-13: 978-0321228260 | Publication Date: June 17, 2004 | Edition: 8

Widely known for incorporating interesting, relevant, and realistic applications, this text offers many real applications citing current data sources. There are a wide variety of opportunities for use of technology, allowing for increased visualization and a better understanding of difficult concepts. MyMathLab, a complete online course, will be available with this text. For the first time, a comprehensive series of lectures on video will be available.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Marge Lial was always interested in math; it was her favorite subject in the first grade! Marge's intense desire to educate both her students and herself has inspired the writing of numerous best-selling textbooks. Marge, who received Bachelor's and Master's degrees from California State University at Sacramento, is now affiliated with American River College.

Marge is an avid reader and traveler. Her travel experiences often find their way into her books as applications, exercise sets, and feature sets. She is particularly interested in archeology. Trips to various digs and ruin sites have produced some fascinating problems for her textbooks involving such topics as the building of Mayan pyramids and the acoustics of ancient ball courts in the Yucatan.

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Raymond N. Greenwell earned a B.A. in Mathematics and Physics from the University of San Diego, and an M.S. in Statistics, an M.S. in AppliedMathematics, and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Michigan State University, where he earned the graduate student teaching award in 1979. After teaching at Albion College in Michigan for four years, he moved to Hofstra University in1983, where he currently is Professor of Mathematics.

Raymond has published articles on fluid mechanics, mathematical biology, genetic algorithms, combinatorics, statistics, and undergraduate mathematics education. He is a member of MAA, AMS, SIAM, NCTM, and AMATYC. He is currently (2002-2005) governor of the Metropolitan New York Section of the MAA, as well as webmaster and liaison coordinator, and he received a distinguished service award from the Section in 2003. He is an outdoor enthusiast and leads trips in the Sierra Club¿s Inner City Outings program.

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Nathan P. Ritchey earned a B.A. in Mathematics with a minor in Music from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. He earned a M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University. He is currently a Professor of Mathematics and Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Youngstown State University. He has published articles in economics, honors education, medicine, mathematics, operations research, and student recruitment. Nate is a Consultant/Evaluator for the North Central Association's Higher Learning Commission and regularly participates in program evaluations.

In recognition of his numerous activities, Nate has received the Distinguished Professor Award for University Service, the Youngstown Vindicator's "People Who Make a Difference Award," the Watson Merit Award for Department Chairs, the Spirit in Education Award from the SunTex corporation, and the Provost's Merit Award for significant contributions to the Honors Program.

A father of four children, Nate enthusiastically coaches soccer and softball. He also loves music, playing several instruments, and is a tenor in the Shenango Valley Chorale. More information about Nate Ritchey can be found at: http://www.as.ysu.edu/~nate/.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 672 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley; 8 edition (June 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 032122826X
• ISBN-13: 978-0321228260
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #506,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It passes the test for adoption consideration, December 30, 2004

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Finite Mathematics (8th Edition) (Hardcover)

As a reviewer and educator, I encounter many textbooks that can be used in the lower level classes such as basic statistics, algebra, precalculus and finite mathematics. Since the material to be covered in these classes has been established by consensus, it is a rare occasion when there is a significant difference in coverage. In addition, there is a natural order to many of the topics, so the differences in sequence also tend to be minimal. All of this leads to a routine sameness of the books, especially when examined by someone experienced in the topic.
Therefore, when examining a book for adoption consideration, my primary concern is how easy it will be for the students to read it. This requires that you intentionally dumb yourself down, reading the explanations in detail, looking for simplistic clarity. If a book has that feature, then it is most likely a good choice. With the exception of including solutions to a large percentage of the problems, all other aspects of the book are secondary. (I consider the lack of solutions to problems in a math book to be a fatal flaw.) In general, I consider the inclusion of more problems of the same type to be trivial padding; after all, the value added by including ten more routine matrix addition problems is minimal. In finite mathematics, it is possible to include problems based on circumstances that actually occur in the real world. The cost of manufacturing some items is in fact locally linear and the allocation of resources can be described by a matrix. Therefore, the realism of the applied problems must also be a consideration when examining a finite math text.
With these conditions of acceptance established, I can say that this book passes the test. The explanations have the simplistic clarity that students need and solutions to many of the problems are included. Many problems demonstrate reasonably practical conditions where finite mathematics is used in the world, and the appropriate background for the problems is given. While no decision has yet been made concerning what book to use next year, this one has been placed on my list of the top three finalists for further consideration.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I recommend this book, October 3, 2005

By 

cs112 trm38 "Tammy Miller" (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finite Mathematics (7th Edition) (Hardcover)

I took an online class over the summer and used this book. Eventhough the teacher was not helpful, the book was. All the exercises were extremely helpful and the text was simple and easy to read. I would recommend this book for any who has to take this class.

5.0 out of 5 stars Book got here in a timely manner and was in excellent condition!, January 21, 2011

By 

jneil - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Student Solutions Manual for Finite Mathematics (Paperback)

This book was received just a week after i placed my order. The book was in excellent condition and better than i had anticipated. The seller was very easy to work with and i would definitely recommend them!