Customer Reviews

Prentice Hall Interactive Math Introductory and Intermediate Algebra Student Package

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I used this book (and that CD that came with my edition) as part of a college algebra course that I took to brush up on basic math so I could do well on the GMAT and GRE.

I have a good background in math so didn't find the information very challenging, which is good, as the people in the class who had a less mathematical background struggled with the text and CD all semester.

The book is not all that well organized and still has a lot of politically correct and new math filler for my taste. Most annoyingly, every time a new concept is introduced, the first technique presented is to guess a solution to the problem, and then see if you are correct. I grasp that Martin-Gay is trying to use the concept of reasonableness of answers, unfortunately, most students don't get it.

If you happen to have an edition with a CD-ROM, good luck. I had continuous computer and program errors when I used the program, and in fact my computer (at the time with Windows ME) began crashing regularly after I installed the software (I complained about this constantly to my teacher) which it had never done before. I can't prove the PHIM software did it, but I can't imagine what else it may have been. This edition may not even come with the CD, I can't tell from the description, so you may be safe. I just suggest extreme caution if you ever happen to run any PHIM software.

To sum up here, if you take a course where this is a required text, be ready to ask lots of questions in class, and beware of the software. Better yet, try and get into another section that uses a different book. If you are interested in a basic algebra book for independent study, please buy any other algebra book.