Precalculus: A Self-Teaching Guide

by Stephen L. Slavin

The fastest, easiest way to master precalculus . . . by doing it!
Do logarithmic functions throw you for a loop? Does the challenge of finding an inverse function leave you overwhelmed? Does the Law of Cosines make you feel clueless? With this helpful, easy-to-follow guide, you will gain total command of these precalc concepts-and many more-in no time at all.
Precalculus: A Self-Teaching Guide includes an algebra review and complete coverage of exponential functions, log functions, and trigonometry. Whether you are studying precalculus for the first time, want to refresh your memory, or need a little help for a course, this clear, interactive primer will provide you with the skills you need. Precalculus offers a proven self-teaching approach that lets you work at your own pace-and the frequent self-tests and exercises reinforce what you've learned. Turn to this one-of-a-kind teaching tool and, before you know it, you'll be solving problems like a mathematician!

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2001

About the author

Steve Slavin, Ph.D., is a professor of economics at Union County College in Cranford, New Jersey.

Reviews

[Dana Alkiswani · Rating 5 out of 5]

W

[Ivan Koma · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first it was funny but then... On 100 self-test i felt frustration, maybe there are too much exercises, but in other ways book can be useful for non careful reading before calculus

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book absolutely infuriating. It was rife with errors; almost every section had errors in the example problems and/or in the quiz questions and answer sets.

As a reference tool for formulas, trig identities, and the unit circle, it's decent. They explain things fairly simply, and provide plenty of examples and practice questions.

This book might be useful for someone who is fairly confident in math, has had previous exposure to precalculus, and just needs a refresher. (This is the category I fall into; I'm confident enough in my math skills that when I came across a misprint or an incorrect answer, I could see where they went wrong and just brush it off and move on.)

I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for remedial precalculus help, or to anyone delving into precalculus for the first time (unless you are a total math whiz). I think the many errors would be too misleading and frustrating for anyone who doesn't have a strong enough math background to pick out the book's mistakes.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best Self Teaching Guides I found on the subject of Precalculus. The author really takes the time to set you up with an introduction to the subject matter of each chapter and section in the chapter, then gives examples and solved problems, which he solves step by step.

I loved it though it did not have linear Algebra in it, only Algebra, and Trigonometry.