College Algebra,
written in a relaxed and conversational style, addresses the need for a
complete and mathematically sound presentation of algebra at the college
level. It is appropriate for a core curriculum college algebra course, and
also contains all the material necessary to prepare students for more
advanced classes such as calculus and statistics. Many examples drawn from
a variety of fields are featured, and each chapter begins with an overview
placing the mathematical concepts that follow in their cultural and
historical context. Throughout the text, commonly made errors are clearly
identified. The first two chapters provide a quick but thorough review of
algebra fundamentals, including a self-contained presentation of complex
numbers. This is followed by the extension of algebra to the Cartesian
plane; an especially thorough exposition of relations and functions; a
detailed study of polynomial, rational, logarithmic, and exponential
functions; conic sections and their applications; systems of equations and
inequalities; and an introduction to sequences, series, combinatorics, and
probability.
