Functions Modeling Change: A Preparation for Calculus [Paperback]

Eric Connally (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471793035 | ISBN-13: 978-0471793038 | Publication Date: November 28, 2006 | Edition: 3

The third edition of this ground-breaking text continues the authors' goal - a targeted introduction to precalculus that carefully balances concepts with procedures. Overall, this text is designed to provide a solid foundation to precalculus that focuses on a small number of key topics thereby emphasizing depth of understanding rather than breath of coverage. Developed by the Calculus Consortium, FMC 3e is flexible enough to be thought-provoking for well-prepared students while still remaining accessible to students with weaker backgrounds. As multiple representations encourage students to reflect on the material, each function is presented symbolically, numerically, graphically and verbally (the Rule of Four). Additionally, a large number of real-world applications, examples and problems enable students to create mathematical models that will help them understand and interpret the world in which they live.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Eric Connally is a Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University Extension in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 3 edition (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471793035
• ISBN-13: 978-0471793038
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.8 x 10.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not an easy book to love, but worth it!, June 8, 2009

By 

K. Klecan (Delaware, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Functions Modeling Change: A Preparation for Calculus (Hardcover)

I have taught Precalculus out of this text (and all its previous editions) on and off over the past ten years, and find it to be a thought-provoking and challenging text, and a good one. What the student reviewers have said is true: the problems are not repetitive, and students often don't like the book... initially. I have found that it takes a bit of time for each new class to adjust to the style of the writing and the conceptual (rather than procedural) approach. There aren't many problems that are worked out line-by-line, so it's a tough book for a kid who wants to learn from the book instead of from the class meetings. If you're shopping for a book to base your course around, this book can be a wonderful option, but what makes it great is the variety and unpredictability in the problems. Students who successfully complete this course should be, at the end, more flexible and independent problem solvers with a rich understanding of the rule of four and how different function families inter-relate, but will need a lot of help along the way to get there. Also, I do supplement the book when we study trig, as our kids don't see trig in Algebra 2, and need a little more time with the basics at the front end. Used in an independent high school, mostly with 11th graders.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this book., February 25, 2009

By 

Michael F (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Functions Modeling Change: A Preparation for Calculus (Paperback)

Maybe I just learn differently than most people, but I hate math books like this one. It walks you through a few easy examples then drops you into problems. I'm not sure why it splits its exercises into two different sections "Exercises" and then "Problems" continuing the same numbering. Poor writing or micro-managing authors, I guess.

Anyways, The first half of the problems are fine then they start throwing curve balls at you in which you are supposed to magically divine new ways of solving the problems that you have never seen before. I'm sure some of this can help work your brain and all, but often times it just frustrates students until we go to class and the instructor shows us the rule that we supposedly learned 2 years ago and should have remembered to invert in order to solve the equation. It would be ideal for us to remember it all, but that's just not the way it works. Stop trying to punish us and give us a hint or reminder, even in the explanation of the section. Something like "Useful equations to remember"

The only good thing I have found with this book is at the end of the chapters there is a whole section of practice problems which I sat down and worked through before my tests and that helped quite a bit.

The other major complaint I have realized recently is a complaint with most Math books I have used. They only give the answers to the odd problems in the back of the book. Now, I understand they do that so all the little kiddies don't just copy the answers and turn in their homework without doing or learning anything, but for people like me who are actually serious about building a solid foundation in math, I would love to see the answers to all of the problems so I can make sure I am on the right track or figure out what I did wrong. I would also love to see more supplemental books that contain the steps to solve the problems. I know this book has one, but I read it only has every 4th problem? That's barely worth the cost.

I'm definitely venting years of frustration in math on this book, but I have used so many other math books just like this one that it all applies.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a good precalculus text (from a professor), September 30, 2010

By 

Mm - See all my reviews

This review is from: Functions Modeling Change: A Preparation for Calculus (Paperback)

I am a math professor and I inherited this text book to teach precalculus. I have now switched to a different book. Here are a few specific points. It spends so much time in exponential growth/decay, business math, logarithmic models but does little on the actual exponential and logarithmic functions (as preparation to calculus). It treats (only) common log and natural log and not even a word on log with other base. I do not understand why there is a whole chapter (8) on compositions and inverses when that was done in chapter 2. Moreover chapter 8 comes after exponential, logarithmic and trig. functions -- poor arrangement. Last, polynomial and rational functions come later in ch.9 after all of the complicated trig functions/identities. This may be a matter of choice but I would rather do polynomials first.

I must say that it is well written and could be a good pre-business calculus book. I still have a problem endorsing it with this arrangement.