Trigonometry

by John D. Baley, Gary Sarell

This text is an in-depth course in trigonometry designed to be understood and used by students. Although the development of trigonometry begins on page one, the authors realize that many students may have completed algebra and geometry courses some time ago. Therefore, they have included algebra and geometry reminders throughout the text where they know from their teaching experience that many students need help in recalling ideas that are necessary to develop trigonometry. While it assumes no previous knowledge of trigonometry, this book shows how trigonometry can be used in many fields. It also develops algebra skills so that students will be thoroughly prepared to continue their study of mathematics and science. The use of graphing calculators has been incorporated throughout the text to reduce the labor of calculations and to expand the students' understanding of concepts and give students the opportunity to explore relationships. The authors have made a number of major changes in this Third Edition. Calculator hints are now in two columns where appropriate to help students with scientific and graphing calculators use. In the problem sets, additional problems requiring the use of graphing calculators have been added. Group writing exercises have been incorporated into many problem sets and throughout the book to help students develop writing skills in a cooperative learning context.

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was solid but the ending chapters felt a bit rushed like they needed something to fill up some pages. It tries to be a more approachable text by doing weird things like adding little bubbles filled with a more conversational tone but it feels off for the target audience. Think of an adult or high school student going through a music book meant for kids that try to keep them engaged with pictures.
I haven't done too many trigonometry textbooks yet but of the few, this is one I would recommend if you have a weak background in algebra. Sometimes it's just nice to have a little reminder on the page of simple things so the more advanced concepts don't appear out of thin air which I have seen in some other texts.
They did Heron's formula with some trig which I thought was great. I'm keeping this one on my shelf as a refresher until something better comes along.