Product Description

As the best seller in its field, Precalculus Functions and Graphs: A Graphing Approach, is the choice for precalculus courses that require students to use graphing technology, begin with a faster paced algebra review, and introduce trigonometry first with a unit circle approach, then the right triangle. The Third Edition offers both instructors and students a more solid, comprehensive, and flexible program than ever before.

For a complete listing of features, see Larson/Hostetler/Edwards, College Algebra: A Graphing Approach, 3/e.

Customer Reviews (2)

You can't go wrong with Ron Larson
Very lucid and thorough explanations.Excellent coverage.There is also a useful supplement - "Study and Solutions Guide" by Bruce Edwards and Dianna Zook, 3rd ed., 2001 (search for 0618074104 on amazon.com).
There is older (2nd ed.,1997; ISBN 0669417297)"Study and Solutions Guide for Precalculus Functions and Graphs : A Graphing Approach and: Precalculus With Limits : A Graphing Approach" by Bruce Edwards and Dianna Zook (i.e. for ISBNs 0395882710 and 0669417580).

Good book to learn with
This is a very good book. It teaches the materal very well and the formulas and defintions are easy to find. ... Read more

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EXAMNotes are double-sided, laminated cards thatcontain all the information students need on a single reference card.They are colorful and exceptionally well-organized to simplify and speedstudy.The most often used and required facts and formulas areincluded.EXAMNotes function as study tools, homework aids, forreference at work.Each laminated card measures 8.5" x 11". ... Read more

Product Description
Successful game programming requires at least a rudimentary understanding of central math topics. While most books neglect the point-by-point details that are necessary to truly hone these skills, Beginning Pre-Calculus for Game Developers tackles each task head on, using easy-to-understand, hands-on exercises. You will conquer the basics of these essential math topics and will then learn how to specifically apply each skill to the field of game programming. Whether you are searching for an entertaining, engaging way to improve your math skills or you wish to develop the background skills necessary to boost your game programming, Beginning Pre-Calculus for Game Developers serves as the step-by-step guide that will help you tackle pre-calculus with confidence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Poor design--lacking follow-through
This book is not about game development, but that's okay. It is about math--foundational knowledge for a computer game developer. Beyond that, it has three glaring problems. The first is how chunky and segmented the book is written, supposedly to make it more easily digestible. I found myself skipping a lot that felt like very remedial math. The second is that it makes you look at a PDF that is included on the CD for the solutions to the sample exercises. The third (and most serious problem) is that it contains errors that have made me stop trusting its appendix for answers to the sample exercises. Moreover, the book directs the reader to a website for edits and corrections where no corrections exist. Save yourself some frustration by choosing a different book.

Beginning Pre-Calculus for Game Developers
DON'T LET THE BOOK'S TITLE MISLEAD YOU!

I checked this book out at my school's library to read over the summer. I have just taken my school's Algebra and Trigonometry course, where we dug deep into trig. This book covers LESS than what we learned in class, it doesn't even go near calculus. All of that I could ignore if it wasn't aimed at game developers.

From the back of the book: "You will conquer the basics of these essential math topics and will then learn how to specifically apply each skill to the field of game programming." The book doesn't do ANY of this. I read about 3 sentences that mentioned game developers. They never apply these math skills to developing a game, not even when they cover matrices. Not to mention it's not even written like a math book - which could be a good thing if you have trouble dissecting math books. There's really no reason at all to read this book. The included CD has a nifty graphing program (Visual Formula), but I'm almost positive you can download this for free online.

Like I said, stay away from this book. It's incredibly misleading and almost totally useless. ... Read more

Product Description
Hungerford integrates graphing technology into the course without losing sight of the fact that the underlying mathematics is the crucial issue. Mathematics is presented in an informal manner that stresses meaningful motivation, careful explanations, and numerous examples, with an ongoing focus on real-world problem solving.The concepts that play a central role in calculus are explored from algebraic, graphical, and numerical perspectives. Students are expected to participate actively in the development of these concepts by using graphing calculators (or computers with suitable software), as directed in the Graphing Explorations, either to complete a particular discussion or to explore appropriate examples. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

You do not NEED this book.
I have had the misfortune of teaching from this book and I have also had to take courses from this authors other more advanced math books.

Unlike calculus, pre-calculus is not a standardized class so any book on the subject will range over many different topics.This one does so with a surprising amount of randomness.

This book takes shortcuts that are not mathematically accepted: for example to explain inverse functions he uses the "Round Trip Theorem" and later suggests students learn something he calls the "difference quotient."

[The "Round Trip Theorem" states that an f composed with its inverse is the identity.]

[The "Difference Quotient" is the definition of the derivative without including the limit at the beginning.]

If you are a math teacher and have not taught from this book, the chances are you don't know what these phrases mean, and that is because they are not common terms.Indeed, this concepts, while critical for students to understand, are dealt with in the book as a recipe to memorize with funny names and mneumonics.With out the concept of limits which will come in calculus, most students find "difference quotients" completely pointless -- and I don't blame them.With inverse functions, students fail to see that inverse functions are defined completely by what Hungerford calls the "Round Trip Theorem" and this is largely because at this stage in their mathematical developement they do not yet have a grasp at reading theorems and satisfying hypotheses.In other texts this concept is (appropriately) used as the definition of invertiblity not a consequence.

While some of these problems can be fixed by teaching, it is unfair to insist students suplement their class lectures with a text that subverts the arguments carefully crafted by the teacher.

Finally the trigonometry in the book is heavily unmotivated, although this is a problem in every trig book.

Other suggestions?Search on-line for web lecture notes on specific topics, such as "What are inverse functions?" or "How to factor a polynomial?".Web notes are generally shorter and more direct about the problems being asked and the fewer exercises get at the practice needed with the theory.At this stage, lengthy textbooks wander off the topic too much.

Absolutely Awful
This is the absolute worst text book I have ever had the misfortune of using, in any subject. Hungerford only provides part of the information you actually need to do the problems, and the answers in the back of the book are not reliable. I was forced to use this book for a class in college. If you have a similar misfortune, GET THE SUPPLEMENT. It is the only thing that will help to keep you sane. Make sure you check out the amazing resources availible online, like purplemath.com. This book sure won't be of any help. My professor is just like the author, so it made for a very difficult class.

Good book, although the images are not to my tastes
This book is different from many others, as the graphing calculator is an integral part of the instruction. A large number of the images are nothing more than what a graphing calculator will present when asked to plot a segment of a particular function. Since the material is standard precalculus, the decision whether to adopt this text will be largely based on your opinion concerning the role of graphing calculators in mathematics education.While there is no question that graphing calculators can be of help, they can also be a hindrance. Graphs are just another tool that enable us to better understand the concepts and are not a complete solution. All mathematicians are aware that diagrams can be inadequate and at times appear to be accurate when they are not.
While their resolution is improving, the visual aspects of the graphing calculator are still somewhat crude. The diagrams in this book can at times be confusing, as the points are still tiny squares and if the student takes the figures too seriously, they can be misleading. As we all know, if there is an opportunity for students to be mislead, some will avail themselves of the opportunity. In some ways, it is a step backwards. For years, publishers have labored to create very high quality diagrams with a great deal of contrast between the different parts. This has made the diagrams much easier to read, but in the images of the calculators there is very little contrast and the figures are crude.
Of greater concern is the real problem that students will use the calculator as a psychological crutch and fail to learn the mathematical justification of the results. For example, when we are dealing with the graphs of functions of the form y = (x - h)*(x - h) + k, out interest is in their understanding concerning how the position of the graph changes as h and k changes. If they rely on the graphing calculator too much, they will never learn the fundamental reasons for the shifts.
In terms of presentation, I found the book to be soundly written, the explanations are understandable and complete. The level is appropriate and the material is the usual precalculus fare. The last chapter deals with limits and continuity, which of course is the beginning of calculus. Considering that there are over 800 pages of material without it, one can argue both positions as to whether it should have been included. A large number of exercises appear at the end of the sections and answers to the odds are included at the end. A CD-ROM with over 8 hours of video instruction is included with the book and qualified adopters of the book can receive content-specific videotapes.
I will not be adopting this book, largely due to the emphasis on graphing calculators. To me, graphing calculators create more problems than they solve in education. However, if you feel otherwise, then this book will likely be exactly what you are looking for.

This book has too many flaws.
The most obvious problem with this book is that there are too many errors in the answers at the back.This results in a lot of time spent reworking the problems in attempts to get the "right" answers.I know it is very difficult to edit to a point that is closer to perfection, but such careful editing is of crucial importance in a math book.

The book's layout and design are poor.For example, a bold line is used to indicate the beginning of an example instead of the beginning of a concept.This has the unfortunate effect of making it appear that the explanation of a new concept is part of the previous example.Though I did get somewhat used to this technique halfway through the book, I never learned to like it, and it continued to confuse me occasionally.

I would have appreciated more exercises for practice at the end of each section.Often, I would get the hang of a concept by the second or third problem, but then there would be no more problems on which I could reinforce my newfound understanding.I will say, though, that there were plenty of applied problems and they were frequently useful, challenging, and even fun.

I rated this book at 3 stars (instead of 2 or 1) because much of the material itself is good.I learned a lot and I did fairly well in the course (A-).However, I know a good textbook when I use one, and this one needs more work to fit that description.This book made taking the class more difficult, time-consuming, and frustrating than it needed to be.

there are better books out there, this is not one of them
to be blunt, this book is not good. hungerford does not explain how to do precalculus very well in this book. it is difficult to read and to understand. a good example is if you were programming a VCR when theinstructions are japanese (no offense). this is probably the reason why itis so difficult. if hungerford made this book more student friendly, thenmaybe he would've gotten a better review. until then, look for anotherbook, this one is definately not one of the best. ... Read more

Product Description

This resource provides detailed keystroke information for current models of graphing calculators, along with step-by-step examples and technology tips.

Customer Reviews (1)

Outstanding Senior Math Text
This book approaches senior math by providing a semester course in functions and trigonometry, followed by a semester course in analytical geometry. This is the traditional approach, and it provides the best way to cover the important topics that need to preceed calculus. This book does NOT focus on calculus, but rather on the functions, trig, and analytic geometry it should be focusing on. It provides the most thorough, modern coverage of those topics I've ever seen. The problems make the student think and analyze, not just spit back a copy of the examples. That makes this text quite challenging, but very beneficial.
I would have liked a bit more coverage of limits, but the student will get that in calculus. Meanwhile, he will study everything he needs to prepare for calculus, so that he won't have to relearn that material in calculus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Perfect Choice of Topics
Senior math books differ widely in their choice of topics. This book makes a perfect choice by including only those topics that actually prepare the student for calculus! Trigonometry is treated early in the book and it is treated well. Quite a lot of the book covers the analytical geometry and function topics that students really need to master before taking calculus. As a bonus, the book provides thorough coverage of limits.
Two chapters of this book introduce calculus itself. I feel that it is more important to cover the functions, trig, and analysis topics well rather than to try to introduce calculus. There is ample material in this book that does that, and it makes up a perfect precalculus course without covering those last two chapters. So I recommend buying the book and leaving out the calculus chapters. ... Read more

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Special Edition for Wayne State University ... Read more

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