Customer Reviews

Prentice Hall Mathematics: Geometry

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I give this textbook 3.5 stars. I have been teaching out of this book for three years now. The textbook is structured very nicely with example problems in each section, very short video tutors that are accessible online, a dictionary in the back, orange and green boxes to highlight the most important concepts, and a "what you need to know" section before starting each section. Also, quite importantly, there are exams at the end of each section that can be taken online that are actually graded*. In this regard this could be a good text for homeschool students.

On the flip side, many of my students have had trouble with this text. In the second half, trigonometry is introduced, but then in subsequent chapters such as finding area, there are many problems that are unmarked that are unsolvable without a full understanding of the trig. My students who struggled with trigonometry then struggled with area. I like that the trig is included in the area section, but it's not in many geometry texts, and the problems that require trig should be marked in someway. Similarly, coordinate geometry is not explored in detail, but spread throughout, and many of my students were confused on how to solve these problems.

In summary, I think this is a solid text for students who are mathematically capable. I think that the text is too challenging for students who are just looking to survive math by taking the minimum requirements.

PROS:
Spanish-English dictionary in back
A few challenge problems at the end of each section
Proof problems are labeled (not a proof-oriented text)
Good supplementary materials come with full curriculum
Example problems are listed next to problems in a given section (eg. see example 2)

CONS:
*Online tests can be retaken by hitting the back browser and students can then change all the answers to the correct ones
Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter that covers too many topics
Chapter 2 is entirely on logic but three of the five sections are primarily about English language words - it's a little overkill
After the build-up to proofs in chapter 4, they are more or less ignored for the rest of the text
Circles are not introduced until the final chapter, 12, and therefore an important concept could be missed

NEUTRAL:
Answers to most odd problems in the back, but sometimes many are left out; it's inconsistent
Problem Set B is called application problems, but sometimes this means solving for diagrams with Xs; the important problems are usually in part A, but not always

I ordered this book on Wednesday and received it on Friday, even though I wasn't expecting it until Saturday. Very quick delivery. The text book was is decent shape, no writing on the pages or highlighting. However; there were papers inside the book with someone's completed geometry homework!