Mathematical Ideas (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The tenth edition of Mathematical Ideas is the best ever! We have continued with the features and pedagogy that have made this book so successful over the years and at the same time, we've spent a considerable amount of time to incorporate fresh data, new photos, and new content (by way of a new chapter on trigonometry). We have tried to reflect the needs of our users--both long-time readers and those new to the Math Ideas way of teaching liberal arts math. We hope you'll be pleased with the results. Like its predecessors, this edition has been designed with a variety of students in mind. It is well-suited for several courses, including the aforementioned liberal arts audience, survey courses in mathematics, and mathematics for prospective and in-service elementary and middle school teachers. Ample topics are included for a two-term course, yet the variety of topics and flexibility of sequence make the text suitable for shorter courses as well. Our main objectives continue to be to provide comprehensive coverage of topics, appropriate organization, clear exposition, an abundance of examples, and well-planned exercise sets with numerous applications. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Vern Heeren received his bachelor's degree from Occidental College andHis master's degree from the University of California, Davis, both inMathematics. He is Professor of Mathematics at American River College,where he has been active in all aspects of mathematics education andcurriculum development. Mr. Heeren coauthored Mathematical Ideas withCharles D. Miller in 1969, and later they coauthored Mathematics: AnEveryday Experience. The latest five editions of Mathematical IdeasHave been coauthored with E. John Hornsby of the University of New Orleans.

Mr. Heeren enjoys the support of his wife, three sons, three daughters in-law, and five grandchildren.

John Hornsby When John Hornsby enrolled as an undergraduate at Louisiana State University, he was uncertain whether he wanted to study mathematics, education, or journalism. His ultimate decision was to become a teacher, but after twenty-five years of teaching at the high school and university levels and ten years of writing mathematics textbooks, both of his goals have been realized. His love for teaching and for mathematics is evident in his passion for working with students and fellow teachers as well. His specific professional interests are recreational mathematics, mathematics history, and incorporating graphing calculators into the curriculum.

John's personal life is busy as he devotes time to his family (wife Gwen, and sons Chris, Jack, and Josh). He has been a rabid baseball fan all of his life. John's other hobbies include numismatics (the study of coins) and record collecting. He loves the music of the 1960s and has an extensive collection of the recorded works of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 9 edition (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0536635943
• ISBN-13: 978-0536635945
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,728,118 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Foundational Text, October 11, 1997

By	Farffleblex Plaffington (Parnybarnel, Mississippi) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mathematical Ideas (Hardcover)

I have the fifth edition of the text, which is now in its eight edition. This is an excellent book, and it is very entertaining to read--a description that does not fit many mathematics textbooks. Although geared for students without much math background, it is an enjoyable read for all, with its engaging sidebars, its sense of the history, and believe it or not, a sense of humor (for instance, a problem requiring you to create a Venn diagram for the topics of country songs--truckers, prison and love). A a philosopher, it is refreshing that the first 100 pages are devoted to set theory and logic--something that is not focused on often enough in basic courses. Most topics are likewise presented with a philosophical angle--for example, the first page points out the problems with defining "set." Utlimately, all definitions of set are circular--does this make "set" undisputably axiomatic? These kinds of problems are at least implied throughout the text. The effect is as deligtful as it is rare. You are not given the sense that the subject matter is complete, instead you are inspired to solve the dilemmas. While the incompleteness and conundrums are common knowledge to mathematics graduate students, they are not frequently imparted to students taking basic courses. That is a shame. When I was in high school, I felt turned off from math--as did many of my friends, because it was presented as a dry, static subject. Memorizing formulas and theorems was like memorizing the Gettysburg Address. Mathematical Ideas does the opposite--it shows an open door for creative problem solving and makes you hungry to explore.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mathmatical Ideas, February 15, 2008

By	B. McCauley - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mathematical Ideas (Hardcover)

This book is titled with the MathXL tutorials on CD. I bought the book brand new, believing that the CD came with. IT DOES NOT! It was very misleading of amazon and an inconvenience to me. I couldn't do my math homework for over a week due to the fact that shipping was insanely slow and then the order was not what was expected. Don't buy this book here if you need the CD or access code otherwise it cost an extra $50 from the publisher for it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suprisingly Great!, August 8, 2007

By	Hannah Banana "Hanner Bananner" (Peach State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mathematical Ideas, Expanded Edition (10th Edition) (Hardcover)

I thought that this was a fabulous book for an overview of mathematics concepts. The explanations were clear and the problems throughout each chapter and the chapter reviews were excellent practice questions for the Teachers Examination for my state (GA). Fantastic book!!