Customer Reviews

Painless Algebra (Painless Series) (Barron's Painless Series)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In '93, I withdrew from college because I could not pass pre-algebra. I never took algebra in high school, so I was lost in my college pre-algebra class by the second week. My professor told me to withdraw in order to save my GPA which was quite high.

Fast forward to 2001. I bought this book and it really opened my eyes! I can see where I made my mistakes in class and I can understand the concepts that my prof. and a tutor could not get me to understand. Everything seems so simple now--some of my past mistakes were very simple ones!

This book is real easy to understand. The book breaks down each concept and the problems are broken down step by step so it's real easy to see what you have to do. It took me only a half-hour to memorize the Order of Operations and apply that to the problems. If you use this in tandem with a book you have for a class, it will make things really easy. The books takes you from the beginning (what a variable is) all the way to graphing two dimensions on a graphing table.

My husband who was a math whiz in school looked at this book and said it's an Algebra 1 book. I'm hoping to understand the concepts thoroughly so I can take a Pre-Algebra placement test and pass for credit.

The only negative things I have to say are that there aren't enough problems to work on. And, my husband said it was a shame that there was only ONE problem (at the end of the book) that shows graphing in three dimensions. He said since the author put that in, she should have continued on with more problems for that concept, or she should have left it out.

I'm just so happy about the fact that I can finally understand Algebra! It's like a lightbulb went off in my head. Now, I'm going back to college to finish my degree!

What a wonderful book! While it does not have as many exercises as some of the bigger books, it does a great job of making algebra clear and easy. There were some sections of algebra that other books left me feeling confused about; Painless Algebra cleared up my questions right away, and I was surprised at how quickly I understood it! I just wish there was a Painless Geometry, Painless Trig, Painless Calculus... That's a hint to the author! :)

Time to go back to college. Math was never my strongest subject. In fact it was my weakest. I had forgotten almost everything I learned in Algebra.
I tried two books that claimed to make algebra a breeze. Promises. Promises.
Then I bought PAINLESS ALGEBRA for a mere $8.95 and was pleased to find clear step by step explainations. Explanations that didn't require three readings before they made sense.
I think the best way to approach the book is by reviewing the previous chapter before you begin a new chapter.
A minor complaint: Too few exercises, as is the case with most of these types of books. But you can always find a workbook that will have problems for you to work out and the answers.
Being mathematically challenged I recommend this book.

I have always had a fascination for higher mathematics, but I've never bothered to learn much of anything about it. When I bought this book, I had forgotten just about everything I ever knew about Algebra 1. I couldn't remember the difference between a coefficient and a variable. I ought to be embarrassed, but I am now too old to care what people think of me for reading a book that's obviously designed for kids. Now I'm starting to think that, if math is really this much fun, I'll be reading PAINLESS DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS in another year or two.

I use this book as a resource in the classroom for helping my students master algebra. Sometimes textbooks don't explain well and I run out of alternative ways to explain a concept. Painless Algebra helps me help them with clear, lucid explanations of algebra concepts. I'd recommend this to anyone who finds their textbooks less than helpful- that's pretty much every math student I ever met, myself included. Great book.

I took basic Algebra 30+/- years ago,so I purchased this book along with "Algebra The Easy Way by Barron" (good book;but missing a few steps in some of its illustrations, which made it fustrating. I am a visual learner and need to see step-by-step illustrations).

I needed to take an entrance exam in math at college and passed the Algebra section with a 91. This allowed me to take Intermediate Algebra; however, had there been illustrations on diagrams and charts that included cos, tan, sin, etc. I know I would have been qualified to take College Algebra. Not bad for remembering zero from years ago to using this book as my sole learning tool before the exam. I did pass all the equation parts of that test, which made me very happy. (I put down the Algebra The Easy Way by Barron when it lost me on some missing steps and studied solely the Painless Algebra). Now this book does have a few missing steps in explaining how to do problems too, but overall I am very pleased with the book.

I showed my 8 year old how to do those Bob is twice as old as Jim math problems & if two trains pass each other going x speed in two hours, how far did they each travel and their speed questions. To my surprise, she remembered how to do the formula I showed her from the book when her 3rd grade teacher asked a simular question in class.

Overall, I am very pleased with this book and recommend it. I wish I could find work books in Algebra & higher math as they do in children's math books such as DK Math Made Easy Series -- an excellent workbook for children.

I am an adult taking college algebra, but I haven't been in a math class in a LOT of years. This book has made a subject that used to frighten me a lot more managable. I actually know what I'm doing now!

I would recommend this book for anyone who is starting out in algebra wether they are 12 or 52!!

Ok, I have got to tell you up front that I have NEVER been a Math wiz, but after reading this book I can do algebra. I have never really gotten the hang of algebra. However I will be starting College in the fall, and I knew that if I was to have a chance of making it Past the first few weeks, I'd better Learn Algebra, and fast! So, I found this book, and I was sceptical, but after only 10 pages or so, I started to get a grasp of how Algebra Really works. Now I have read the book, and now I have a good understanding of how Algebra works. (I CAN DO IT NOW!) I would recomend this book to anyone struggling in algebra. However I must warn you This book does OVER simplify things in a few cases. Just don't get confused, or sidetracked. That is the only reason I could not give this book a 5 star rating.
In conclusion this book works.

The lay-out and range of topics are very attractive and useful for people who want to refresh their beginning algebra knowledge. However, in a quick read-through and working of about a third of the exercises, I found at least 5 errors in the text. Unfortunately, they were not obvious typos. Rather, they were errors that made me wonder whether I was mistaken in my understanding. As a mid-career, lateral-entry middle school math teacher who was already questioning her sanity, I lost a bit of sleep over some of these points until I could recheck my knowledge base in the morning.
Maybe Barron's will do better with the 3rd edition.

My 12-year-old wanted to learn more about algebra. He is teaching himself by reading this book. The author clearly explains topics without a lot of confusing text. There are cartoons and illustrations in the book to break up the monotony. It's kind of like a workbook. Highly recommended. Wish there was a "Painless Geometry."