Customer Reviews

Schaum's Outline of Precalculus

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this book in order to learn precalculus because we skipped most of it in my class in order to goto Calculus. Initially the book started out slow because it talked about basic algebraic principles and such, but it got better. This book, I would say, is more for math-oriented students. I myself am not great in math, but spending time with the problems in this book is well worth it. I spent 27 minutes on one problem, and I understood it afterwards, and the satisfaction is great! But yes, this book has very good explanations and almost always never leaves anything out. The only thing I did not like about this book is it skipped some steps which made me take more time with a given problem.

Since the other reviewer and I attend the same university in Raleigh, and we are taking Math 107 (precalculus). I asked him what he thought. He said it is a good book, so I bought it.

While it is certainly no substitute for a good teacher, I found it to be better than my text book, which really isn't of much use. The example used in the book are clear and easy to understand.

This book is also much, much cheaper than my textbook.

Trust me, I stink at math, and I have not been in a math class in 10 years. But, this book is making it easier. For the first time in 16 years, I am passing a math class on the first attempt.

Two nights ago, I used it cram for my mid-term. It really helped a lot. It especially helped me understand difference quotients, which were giving me a lot of trouble.

I intend to buy more of the Schaum's books as I have two more math classes to go. I have to -- I attend a school that values math above all else.

I guess I'm just really glad because I took my midterm last night, and I left class feeling euphoric. I should probably add that I have a great teacher.

I do not think you would regret buying this book if you are having trouble in precalculus.

My intent was to enter Calculus 1 and I had one month to review all the math I'd forgotten over the past 12 years. This book was instrumental in helping me to remember everything necessary to do well in Calculus (I got an A). The solved exercises and the amazing amount of detail in the solutions they provide was nothing short of awesome! I highly recommend this book if you're refreshing yourself in Math that you've forgotten over the years. It covers everything and makes you do exercises to dust off your cobwebs. I still use it even in Calc 2 because I'm constantly going back to the basics. This book had at least 30 problems in each category and it's enough to really get you refreshed and ready for Calc!

If you need a compact review book on Precalculus, a light book
to carry around, to look up for formulas you cannot recall, or
would like to see sample worked examples, then this is the book
for you. Its print is large enough and the notes and explanation
will not strain your eyes as you read through because you want
to revise some lessons quickly. It is a complete Precalculus
text covering most topics. The author, who is an experienced
teacher has selected materials necessary for your course and
exam. Buy it, or give your friend as a good gift...I am sure you
will not regret.

I have rated this book 4 stars, not that it lacks many things
but it will serve as an excellent companion to your regular
textbook, and it will be 5 stars for you if you make good use
of both the texts (this book + your class textbook).

I bought this book while taking a 6 week college pre-calc summer course. Being that the course was dramatically shortened from the normal 16 weeks to 6 weeks due to the summer curriculum, any extra help available was crucial. By using this book in conjunction with the regular school book, it made it a lot easier to understand things like functions, graphs, logs, and quadratics. This text pretty much follows right along with the in class book but provides many examples with more detailed solutions and different ways of solving them. I received a "B" in the class. Without this book, how knows?

This guide can be quite helpful if you need to practice more problems than are in your text book. The guide covers just about everything in the precalculus course I am taking. There were things that I needed to find that I could not find in the guide, however, that is to be expected with any book. I think its a job well done.

I like the layout and I think it is presented well, but I do not like the fact that the answers are right next to the questions. I think it would have been better to have a separate answer section so that you aren't influenced by seeing the answer before you've even thought about it.

I've taught precalculus at the college level a number of times and I think this is a better product than most standard textbooks that students will never read (and most can't understand).

Although this would also make a nice supplement for college students taking Precalculus, it really shines as a test preparation manual for students preparing to take the COMPASS math placement test that is required in many junior colleges. It starts with very basic material on the sets of numbers used in algebra, axioms for the real number systems, and precedence of operators and then moves on to cover everything that you should have seen in two years of high school algebra, trigonometry, and analytical geometry. Plus it even has a few chapters at the end on solving systems of linear equations and even some material on partial fraction expansion.

This is not a book with any proofs in it. It is strictly applied mathematics - a "how to" book. The outline is careful to define all terms used, and shows general methods and alternate methods of solutions for different types of problems using clearly numbered steps. The examples and exercises are both excellent illustrations of the concepts involved.

Thus, if you are starting out in college calculus or if you need to pass a college math placement exam at the precalculus level so that you are eligible to enroll in calculus, this is the book that I recommend you use. Remember that it is important for many college students to be eligible to enroll in calculus, since the vast majority of engineering and science undergraduate degrees do not count any math class of a lower skill level than calculus as credit toward their degree plans.

I bought this book as a supplement to my PreCal textbook during my freshman year of college. It has lots of well-explained examples and goes through each step-by-step. I used it a lot studying for tests.

I would highly recommend this outline! This book shows step by step explanations of problems that helped my daughter understand sections of precal that she did not understand from her professor's explanations. She considered it a great help in passing the course with a higher grade than she would have made without it.