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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
123 of 126 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is a great tool for those who have been away from algebra, geometry, and trig for a short while. The author treats one to a 'no nonsense' crash course in basic concepts. This being the case, the book is fast paced and very crisp. There is not much 'hand holding' here. Topics are explained quite well and to the point with a good number of exercises.
One caveat though. If you have been away from math for say 10 - 20 years you will often get lost wading through the material. The text does assume that one's thinking process is still attuned to basic skills such as the "two sign change" rule in a compound expression. Therefore if you find that you have forgotten the tricks involved in things like factoring you will be better served to first go with say "Practical Algebra: A self teaching Guide" and "Geometry and Trig for Calculus". Both by Selby et al.
However, if you've been away from math for only a short time (< 5 years), by all means get this book.
73 of 75 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a dyed-in-the-wool math-phobe (with but one year
of high-school algebra and a year of high-school
geometry 15 years earlier), I thoroughly chewed through
this little book over a summer and then launched
into the first semester of Calculus (taught in the
traditional style, not "Calculus-reform style) at a
rather rigorous Math/Science/Engineering oriented
university. In that Calculus class, I generally got
100% on each quiz and exam (and most of my classmates
with a more typical pre-engineering background
did not). Take it for what it's worth, but I credit
this book. Very compressed, but very clear. You will
note that I successfully substituted this book for two
semesters of the usual pre-calculus math sequence,
and I doubt this would have worked for me if the book
were missing any important pre-calculus material.
of high-school algebra and a year of high-school
geometry 15 years earlier), I thoroughly chewed through
this little book over a summer and then launched
into the first semester of Calculus (taught in the
traditional style, not "Calculus-reform style) at a
rather rigorous Math/Science/Engineering oriented
university. In that Calculus class, I generally got
100% on each quiz and exam (and most of my classmates
with a more typical pre-engineering background
did not). Take it for what it's worth, but I credit
this book. Very compressed, but very clear. You will
note that I successfully substituted this book for two
semesters of the usual pre-calculus math sequence,
and I doubt this would have worked for me if the book
were missing any important pre-calculus material.
53 of 54 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is one of my very favorite math books of all time. As a survivor of the deplorable California education system in the sixties and seventies, I had to teach myself math because most of my teachers didn't either didn't know how to teach basic math or else they didn't understand it themselves. I used this book! I have had my copy for around twenty years and it is all beaten up and filled with highlighting and notes. I have shown it to friends whenever they needed help and they have asked to buy my copy off me, but I refuse to sell it. I send them here instead.
Also, I recommended this book to a friend and walked her though the basics so that she regained her cofidence and knowledge enough to pass the GMAT within a couple of weeks!
In my opinion, this book gives it all to you -- the basics -- without getting "cutesy" or patronizing -- which is what many of the new "easy to understand" precalculus books unfortunately do. Nor does it leave out substance, which is what you need if you are trying to pass or master this subject. What more could you ask?
One thing to keep in mind, though, if you want to practice your math, use this book with an additional book of problems. There really isn't enough problems in the book for practice. But then, that was not the author's intention, anyway. You should know that when you buy it, though.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Short and sweet
Perfect for those needing to review their algebra/precalc. Includes geometry, algebra, and trig. No bs, completely to the point and still includes proofs where necessary. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Anonymous
Good book but look-and-feel needs a serious refreshing
This book is a classic. Great content. The only thing it suffers from is that it needs to be updated. it was written in 1987. All the illustrations and graphics are hand-drawn! Read more
Published 3 months ago by C. Wong
It does what it's meant to
As a college student going into a nerve-wracking calculus class, I purchased this book to get my bearings before the class started, and I feel much, much better prepared after... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Meg
Book expects too much from the reader
I want to preface this review by saying that I scored 750 in math on the SATs, and consistently got excellent grades in math throughout high school. Read more
Published 9 months ago by oilofolivier
Precal in a Nutshell
I enjoyed reading this book. It would be good for someone looking to brush up their precalculus skills. But, it is way too condensed. Read more
Published 10 months ago by P-Nice
wonderful bare-bones review
I guess it would be difficult to thoroughly learn geometry, algebra, and trigonometry just from this text, but if it's been a few (or more than a few) years since you've studied... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Christopher A. Meli
Precalculus - Simmons
Excellent book. Concise, to the point, and very well written. I recommend it to everyone looking for a math refresher before studying calculus, linear algebra, and mathematical... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Alaove
I feel empowered after this
I am a guy who learned to love mathematics in college, but believe it or not, I was kind of a clown in high school. It is in this way that my pre-calculus background sucked. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Estefano Palacios Topic
Great for Test Review
I first purchased this book over 3 decades ago. I've used it several times, always the night before some sort of aptitude test or exam that included pre-calculus math. Read more
Published 19 months ago by L. Painchaud
Outstanding book.
As a professor who teaches Capital Markets in a Masters program in Finance, I only wish that all my students came prepared with this much math (let alone, basic calculus). Read more
Published on November 2, 2009 by Nicholas Warren
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