Product Description

In this new edition of Precalculus, Seventh Edition, the authors encourage graphical, numerical, and algebraic modeling of functions as well as a focus on problem solving, conceptual understanding, and facility with technology.  They responded to many helpful suggestions provided by students and teachers in order to create a book that is designed for instructors and written for students.   As a result, we believe that the changes made in this edition make this the most effective precalculus text available today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #169005 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1056 pages

About the Author

Frank Demana received his master’s degree in mathematics and his Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Currently, he is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at The Ohio State University. As an active supporter of the use of technology to teach and learn mathematics, he is cofounder of the national Teachers Teaching with Technology (T³) professional development program. He has been the director and co-director of more than $10 million of National Science Foundation (NSF) and foundational grant activities. He is currently a co-PI on a $3 million dollar grant from the Department of Education Mathematics and Science Educational Research grant awarded to The Ohio State University. Along with frequent presentations at professional meetings, he has published a variety of articles in the areas of computer and calculator-enhanced mathematics instruction. Dr. Demana is also cofounder (with Bert Waits) of the annual International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics (ICTCM). He is co-recipient of the 1997 Glenn Gilbert National Leadership Award presented by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, and recipient of the 1998 Christoggerson-Fawcett Mathematics Education Award presented by the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Dr. Demana has coauthored Calculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic; Essential Algebra: A Calculator Approach; Transition to College Mathematics; College Algebra and Trigonometry: A Graphing Approach; College Algebra: A Graphing Approach; Precalculus: Functions and Graphs; and Intermediate Algebra: A Graphing Approach.

 Bert Waits received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University and is currently Professor Emeritus of Mathematics there. Dr. Waits is cofounder of the national Teachers Teaching with Technology (T³) professional development program, and has been co-director or principal investigator on several large NSF projects. Dr. Waits has published articles in more than 50 nationally recognized professional journals. He frequently gives invited lectures, workshops, and minicourses at national meetings of the MAA and teh National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) on how to use computer technology to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics. He has given invited presentations at the International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME 6, 7, and 8) in Budapest (1988), Quebec (1992) and Seville (1996). Dr. Waits is co-recipient of the 1997 Glenn Gilbert National Leadership Award presented by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, and is the co-founder (with Frank Demana) of the ICTCM. Dr. Waits has coauthored Calculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic; College Algebra and Trigonometry: A Graphing Approach; College Algebra: A Graphing Approach; Precalculus: Functions and Graphs; and Intermediate Algebra: A Graphing Approach.

Greg Foley received B.A. and M.A. degrees in mathematics and a Ph.D. in mathematics education from The University of Texas at Austin.  He is Director of the Liberal Arts and Science Academy of Austin, the advanced academic magnet high school program of the Austin Independent School District in Texas.  Dr. Foley has taught elementary arithmetic through graduate-level mathematics, as well as upper division and graduate-level mathematics education classes.  From 1977 until 2004, he held full-time faculty positions at North Harris County College, Austin Community College, The Ohio State University, Sam Houston State University, and Appalachian State University, where he was Distinguished Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Mathematical Sciences and directed the Mathematics Education Leadership Training (MELT) program.  Dr. Foley has presented over 200 lectures, workshops, and institutes throughout the United States and internationally, has directed a variety of funded projects, and has published articles in several professional journals.  Active in various learned societies, he is a member of the Committee on the Mathematical Education of Teachers of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).  In 1998, Dr. Foley received the biennial American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) Award for Mathematics Excellence, and in 2005, he received the annual Teachers Teaching with Technology (T³) Leadership Award.

Dan Kennedy received his undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross and his master’s and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since 1973, he has taught mathematics at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he holds the Cartter Lupton Distinguished Professorship. Dr. Kennedy became an Advanced Placement Calculus reader in 1978, which led to an increasing level of involvement with the program as workshop consultant, table leader, and exam leader. He joined the Advanced Placement Calculus Test Development Committee in 1986, then in 1990, became the first high school teacher in 35 years to chair that committee. It was during his tenure as chair that the program moved to require graphing calculators and laid the early groundwork for the recent major reform of the Advanced Placement Calculus curriculum. The author of the 1997 Teacher’s Guide--APÒ Calculus, Dr. Kennedy has conducted more than 50 workshops and institutes for high school calculus teachers. His articles on mathematics teacher have appeared in the Mathematics Teacher and the American Mathematical Monthly, and he is a frequent speaker on education reform at professional and civic meetings. Dr. Kennedy was name a Tandy Technology Scholar in 1992 and was a Presidential Award winner in 1995. Dr. Kennedy has coauthored Calculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic; Prentice Hall Algebra 1; Prentice Hall Geometry; and Prentice Hall Algebra 2.

Customer Reviews

Try Sullivan instead
This book is poor. Try Michael Sullivan's books instead. This book doesn't show you how to do the majority of the problems. I'm mostly flipping through the pages, trying to find the techniques, formulas, etc... but they are not there. I need this book for class (homework), but I'm using Sullivan's books to actually learn the material. If you have to use this book (like me), don't get discouraged. The material isn't difficult (and it's actually enjoyable) if you learn it step by step. This book, unfortunately, is another representation of mathematicians trying to explain easy material in a needlessly complicated way. Get another book before thinking you're not a math person.

By far a very unadequate textbook
As a freshman in high school, I was very excited to be taking precalculus. But as the year unfolded, so did the many pages of my textbook, and I was dissapointed. Though it does provide many challenging problems, and many examples with graphics, I was unfortunate enough to have to drudge through the year always correcting the Teacher's Edition. On average, about 5-7 problems in every section were wrong in this particular textbook. In addition, There were many gramatical and numerical errors in explanations that were both superfluous and uninformative. The begging of each section had about 10-15 pages of explanation for that section alone. Additionally, the formating and small text were both confusing and intimidating. Overall, this textbook was far worse that I anticipated. This was both the first and the last year in which my school purchased this textbook, and anyone looking for a boring and less than adequate textbook: be my guest and waste your money.

Horrible precalc book offers few examples
This textbook is flat-out bad. It is supposed to serve as a transition between algebra to calculus, but it fails badly due to its inadequate explanations. Many of the problems are redundant, too hard, or too easy. Each section of each chapter offers VERY few examples, and these examples rarely correspond with the types of problems presented as practice. It is littered with typos, errors, answer mistakes, and a general feel of unprofessional publishing. The formulas and important "boxed concepts" or equations are often written in an excessively complicated manner. Where it needs to be concise, it drones on excessively. Where it needs an in-depth explanation, it skips over the issue. I used this WHOLE book through junior year and found it very unhelpful. Do not buy it.