Trigonometry For Dummies [Paperback]

Mary Jane Sterling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 28, 2005

A plain-English guide to the basics of trig
From sines and cosines to logarithms, conic sections, and polynomials, this friendly guide takes the torture out of trigonometry, explaining basic concepts in plain English, offering lots of easy-to-grasp example problems, and adding a dash of humor and fun. It also explains the "why" of trigonometry, using real-world examples that illustrate the value of trigonometry in a variety of careers.
Mary Jane Sterling (Peoria, IL) has taught mathematics at Bradley University in Peoria for more than 20 years. She is also the author of the highly successful Algebra For Dummies (0-7645-5325-9).

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Get up to speed quickly with worked-out problems

Understand the how and the why of trigonometry

Confused by cosines? Perplexed by polynomials? Don't worry! This friendly guide takes the torture out of trigonometry by explaining the basics in plain English, offering lots of easy-to-grasp examples, and adding a dash of humor and fun. You'll see how trig applies to everyday life — and why it's important to a wide variety of careers.

Discover how to:

• Solve equations
• Graph functions
• Figure out formulas
• Identify identities
• Solve practical problems with trig

About the Author

Mary Jane Sterling, the author of the highly successful Algebra For Dummies, has taught mathematics at Bradley University in Peoria for more than 20 years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (January 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764569031
• ISBN-13: 978-0764569036
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #98 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Mathematics

More About the Author

Mary Jane Sterling teaches mathematics at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. She has been teaching mathematics for over 30 years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book for any Trigonometry student who is struggling, June 4, 2006

By 

Judge "KB" (Colorado Springs) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trigonometry For Dummies (Paperback)

I bought this book and two others at the beginning of my college Trig class. This book is the only one that I used. It was the best investment for the class that I could have made. Trigonometry for Dummies provided all the fundamental concepts that were covered in college Trig and explained them so that even a non-math major like myself could understand. I would highly recommend this book for anyone struggling with college Trigonmetry, or if you are looking for a great book to refresh your skills.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book But Could Have Used a Proofreader Or Two, December 19, 2007

By 

Thomas P. Connolly (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trigonometry For Dummies (Paperback)

I was in a bit of a quandary as to how to rate this book. I bought the book and the companion "Trigonometry Workbook for Dummies" to refresh my trig skills, long rusted after nearly 50 years of little use. Both books are really quite good although the workbook could be more comprehensive. The big problem with the workbook, and to a lesser extent with the "Trigonometry for Dummies" book, is the large number of errors in the book. One works out a very complicated identity problem only to find that the stated problem is different from the problem answered due to typographical errors. I don't think I went seven pages in the workbook without finding an error. Most of the errors were changed minus or plus signs. This made maintaining confidence in the book very difficult.

One would think that a big publisher like Wiley would employ competent proofreaders. I would also expect them to have an errata sheet somewhere on their web page. But, nooo, nothing helpful there at all except a glossary they forgot to put in this book.

Overall, both books were very helpful, with the exception of not having a lot of confidence that the answer to the problem I was trying to solve would be correct.

50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT TRIG BOOK!!, April 17, 2005

By 

REVIEWER - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trigonometry For Dummies (Paperback)

I have been out of school for 30+ yrs. and wanted to learn trig for graphics programming. Of all the trig books I have looked at, this is by far the best!!. Highly recommended!!