Customer Reviews

Pre-Calculus Demystified

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am a newly certified teacher of secondary Mathematics (grades 7-12) in New York State. I am in the processes of reviewing Pre-Calculus.

So I see this book through two lenses.

1.) As a student: It is a dramatic relief to have each and every answer correct. I wouldn't underestimate the comfort of knowing what you are reading is 99.99% to 100% correct. Having used Schaum's, which can be peppered with errors, this is a welcome relief.

2.) As a teacher: Every explanation is well written and crystal clear. We are brought from the simple to the complex. (Of course, I've had to read some parts multiple times to 'get it.') Ms. Huettenmueller has the extremely rare combination of brilliant communication skills, aka pedagogy, along with mastery of content.

This brings the reader to the conclusion that the author (and the publisher) really cares that you learn this 'stuff.' A sense of a
pursuit of exellence comes through the pages.

I am sure Ms. Huettenmueller is a GIFTED teacher!

As a new teacher, this is someone I'd love to emulate.

I applaud Rhonda Huettenmueller and whole heartedly agree with the R. Orchanian review (the New York teacher). The very best available that absolutely takes the mystery out of this area of mathematics. The sequence of the chapters is superb, clear, concise and very, very accurate. It includes process steps that are left out of many *so called* self-teaching guides which leaves many students scratching their head. Just quite simply the very best book written on the subjct, hands down. I hope Ms. Huettenmueller doesn't stop here.

I am one of those pathetic cases who should have been a math major, but could not stay awake during the freshman pre-calc lectures conducted by bored and boring grad students. Now, nearly 40 years later I am determined to self-educate my way through calculus.

At first I took a crack at the Wiley "Precalculus A Self Teaching Guide". Holy cripes, what a disaster! Unnerving to find such an improbable number of errors, especially for student picking up after decades of non-study.

Then, I grabbed Rhonda Huettenmeuller's fine work, and am doing the practice at the end of chapter four. I actually remembered some of my advanced algebra and managed to work my way through the problems.

Well written and clear, she provides enough dimensions on problems to give you insight, then gives you room enough to have to think a bit. The answers are all provided, and are *correct*. Well, at least we agree, so that is certainly a good sign.

I especially appreciate how she teaches this from the perspective of tackling calculus as the next step, pointing out issues that particularly apply, and how, to more advanced mathematics.

Now, if we can just get her to write more books...

As I found out to my dismay, calculus is a difficult subject, and it is impossible to fake it. There just is not enough time to learn calculus while simultaneouly reviewing or learning all the precursor skills that calculus uses.

I took a course in calculus at the Harvard extension college in Cambridge MA, and found the going very difficult, primarily because I was not properly prepared. I had had what I thought was a pretty good high school and college education in math, haveing graduated magna cum laude in applied math ("quantitative methods") from Babson College. My first few weeks at Harvard found every weakness in my preparation. My experience was filled with "I didn't know that" or "I don't remember that". In short, weakness in my background made studying calculus a trial by fire.

Mastering the material in this book is not particularly difficult. It is very carefully explained, and there are multiple examples of each technique. Each of those examples is completely worked out in great detail, so that one is not left wondering "how did he get from there to here?".

The when and how to use electronic calculators is well integrated into the book. Huettenmuller's suggestions are crafted to use calculators without letting them do ALL the work. [After all, a modern calculator knows how to solve virtually any problem, but I don't]. The point here is that the focus is not only on the right "answer" but how to develop that answer. I would recommend using a modest scientific calculator (eg. an HP30s) with limited functionality while learning from this book.

Once you have mastered the material in the book: Linear functions, quadratic functions, polynomial functions, real functions, exponential functions, logarithmic functions systems of equations, matricies, trigonometry, and conic sections, you are on the road to mastering calculus. Calculus brings all these skills into play, so you must be prepared to deal with them, especially if you are in a time sensitive environment such as a class room.

A great help in my Precalculus I class. The information is presented in a better manner than the textbook for the course.

I took a tough Precalculus class last year and found myself half-way through the semester totally and hopelessly confused. I couldn't afford tutoring (financially or time-wise - I work full-time and take night classes) and seriously contemplated dropping the class to save my GPA. I bought this book and ended up aceing the class. I know that sounds unlikely, but the author has a way of describing the concepts in a totally understandable way and it all just clicked. I enjoy math, but tend to be a little slow at picking things up, and the lay person approach of the book really worked for me.

I received this book 2 weeks before my college entrance exam to smooth over what I momentarily learned in high school--I Do not want to end up in a lower than Calculus math class, paying for a class that does not give me any college credit.

So far I have been getting through a chapter each day, in about hour and a half of on and off study.

It is continuing to get me more comfortable with my math skills in a very short time. I Recommend it to anyone who fears there college entrance exam, or interested in learning Precalc on their own.

I wanted to learn Calculus so I needed a refresher on the foundation principles. I chose this book because I didn't want to remain a "Dummy" or "Idiot" by reading other books. McGraw Hill has produced a winner in their Demystified series. There are no cartoons or distracting puns, just necessary and sufficient information to really learn the topics. The book follows a consistent pattern: topics are followed directly by examples which are followed by practice questions and their solutions (no flipping to pages in the back of the book for solutions). Then, the topic may be presented with additional examples and practice questions. A chapter ends with a multiple choice review. I particularly liked the book's examples because they related to real-life situations like calculating your rate and flat fee for utility services. The Demystified books have high value in that you get a lot of material for the same or lower price than competitive books. I was a technology instructor for twenty years and the only minor recommendation I would make is to include a glossary at the end of the book with the term emphasized in bold lettering the first time it appears in a topic. So, if you really want to learn the subject in a clear, logical manner, choose this book.

It was a great book, gave me what I needed at the pace I found acceptable. I also jumped into the middle of the book once to give a friend a hand and it was on polynomial functions. In ten minutes flat I was already calculating them! Amazing! If I continue at this rate, I can slack off in my Pre-Calculus college class and still pass! No, but seriously though, it's an awesome book and have recommended it to all my friends.

Dr Huettenmueller was my professor at UNT for Pre-Calculus. She is an amazing instructor. She really has a way of getting to the key concepts in a clear and concise manner.