Precalculus mathematics in a nutshell: Geometry, algebra, trigonometry [Hardcover]

George Finlay Simmons (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 119 pages
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble Books; First edition (1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760706603
• ISBN-13: 978-0760706602
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #288,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

119 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A crash course to bring you up to speed.., February 4, 2001

By 

Kersi Von Zerububbel "Kersi" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell: Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry (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.

70 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars magic book, January 23, 2005

By 

A reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell: Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry (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.

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent distilled precalculus will help you succeed, June 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell: Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry (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.