Book Description

Using this book will improve your understanding of math and have you performing like a genius!

People who excel at mathematics use better strategies than the rest of us; they are not necessarily more intelligent.

Speed Mathematics teaches simple methods that will enable you to make lightning calculations in your head–including multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction, as well as working with fractions, squaring numbers, and extracting square and cube roots.Here’s just one example of this revolutionary approach to basic mathematics:

96 x 97 =
Subtract each number from 100.

96 x 97 =
43

Subtract diagonally. Either 96—3 or 97— 4.
The result is the first part of the answer.

96 x 97 = 93
43

Multiply the numbers in the circles. 4 x 3 = 12.
This is the second part of the answer.

96 x 97 = 9312
43

It’s that easy! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A LONG COMPLICATED REVIEW
The classic book on high speed calculation was written by Lester Meyers and titled HIGH SPEED MATH SELF-TAUGHT. I have two copies of the 1961 edition on my paperback shelf since I pick up a copy anytime I see one at a library sale. I got my first copy in sixth grade (true story). There are very few tricks that appear in ANY speed math book that don't also appear in Meyers book. But most of Meyers book is information on what to do in very specific problems (multiplying by 9, multiplying by 36, etc.) Nowadays, people generally want methods that are applicable in a wide variety of situations, not just multiplying by specific numbers.
A good test for one of these books is to see how it deals with division. Division is by far the most difficult operation for kids to learn, and books on speed math are often very short on division methods. Handley's book contains two, one of which, as far as I know, only appeared A. H. Russell's RAPID CALCULATIONS (printed in London, 1956, hard to find.)
Why three stars? The book is very good in teaching what Handley calls the reference number method for multiplication. But I think the average reader would have difficulty following some of the explanations for both division methods. Handley's subtraction method (which he says he was taught in third grade) is excellent - recommended for any parent whose kids are having trouble borrowing. There are other interesting things here(meaning things I have not seen before or not seen in awhile)--an easy way to go from Fanrenheit to Celsius or vice versa, multiplying feet and inches by feet and inches, a quick method for mental square root estimates. But I am not sure the average reader will be able to follow all of Handley's explanations. So, next reviewer, whoever you are, please comment on how easy to follow you found the explanations to be. Maybe I am unnecessarily pessimistic. In any case, despite these reservations, the book is recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

FROM THE PREFACEIn the years since the first edition, I have continued to consider ways in which the texts could be improved. In this regard, I researched several topics including how people learn (learning styles, etc.), how the brain functions in storing and retrieving information, and the fundamentals of memory systems. Many of the changes incorporated in this second edition are a result of this research. The changes were field-tested during a three-year period in which I taught a water and wastewater mathematics course for Palomar Community College, San Marcos, California.· All the fundamental math concepts and skills needed for daily water/wastewater treatment plant operations. This first volume, "Basic Math Concepts for Water and Wastewater Plant Operators," provides a thorough review of the necessary mathematical concepts and skills encountered in the daily operations of a water and wastewater treatment plant. Each chapter begins with a skills check to allow the student to determine whether or not a review of the topic is needed. Practice problems illustrate the concepts presented in each section. ... Read more

Book Description

Offering more algebra review than other texts, Precalculus with Limits encourages students to actively participate in math and focus on the link between concepts and applications. The proven Aufmann Interactive Method helps students learn the process of working out problems by providing a step-by-step example with annotations accompanied by a You-Try-It exercise. Students can then pinpoint mistakes by consulting the complete solutions in the appendix.

Reviews (1)

It adds up...
We use this book, 'Precalculus with Limits' by Aufmann, Barker and Nation, as the two-semester sequence at our community college for College Algebra and Trigonometry. Most students at our college do not go on to Calculus, as our two-year degrees do not require that; however, they do need a solid grounding in topics such as trigonometric functions, analytic geometry, and advanced algebraic operations for the technical programmes of electronics, drafting, and other such degrees that emphasise technology and mathematical precision.

This text begins, as do algebra books at almost all levels, with a re-introduction to number theory, including absolute values, complex numbers, polynomials, factor and rational expressions. These are assumed knowledge already for students, so this is just a refresher section. The second chapter dealing with equations and inequalities, particularly linear equations and quadratic equations, are also assumed to have been covered before, but these go into new details. This section has an interesting section entitled 'Can You Trust Your Calculator?' - one of the features of this text is a special interest section at the end of each chapter that ties the concepts to real-world and scientific applications, or introduces intriguing advanced mathematical concepts.

Chapters three through five address most of what is covered in our College Algebra class. This looks at two-dimensional coordinate systems and graphing. Polynomial functions, exponential functions and logarithmic functions are all discussed.

Chapters six through eight cover trigonometry. The principles of angles and arcs, how to read circles in degrees and radians, equivalences of trigonometric functions, graphing of sine and cosine curves, vectors and equations are included here.

Chapters nine through thirteen get into advanced topics of analytic geometry and advanced algebra. These include two-dimension graphing of parabolas, ellipses, hyperbolas and conic sections, and introduces the ideas of polar coordinates and axial rotation. Three-dimensional analytic geometry is introduced, including vectors in space (a key concept in physics). Work with systems of equations, advanced work with matrix algebra, and ideas of probability, series and sequences are covered.

The final chapter is a brief introduction to the idea of calculus, introducing the concept of limits and the concept of the derivative. Our courses omit this chapter, but it is interesting and seems well suited to prepare students for the next step in mathematics, should they opt to pursue this.

The book incorporates three primary features to link mathematics concepts and mathematics models. These include 'Exploring Concepts with Technology', such as the calculator example above; 'Topics for Discussion' prior to each exercise set, which can include group discussion elements; and 'Projects', which can involve further research and narrative elements. These pieces help engage the students with mathematics beyond the simple solve-the-problem pedagogy.

This is a very useful text, easy to follow, accessible and helpful, and a solid manual for mathematics instruction. ... Read more

Book Description

The world of elementary mathematics teaching is undergoing dramatic changes. Pressures from reform have come from professional organizations as well as from political voices and the general public. Teachers and teacher educators have shown a willingness to find better ways to teach elementary mathematics, but learning new ways is sometimes difficult. This book invites readers to observe the interactions between and among children and teachers.The second edition of this book presents the essentials of pertinent research, valued classroom methodology, and current practice in teaching elementary math. One of the book's goals is to show the reader the integration of the NCTM Standards throughout the book. Topics covered include: general procedures and concerns, organizational plans, planning for groups, number concepts, algorithms, fractions and decimals, ratio and proportion, percent and probability, measurement and geometry, and more.Teachers and teacher educators. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Do not like this book
I am an elementary education student using this book for an introductory class...I do not like it. It does not show many ways to actually set forth the materials in class. It also goes far beyond what any of the elementary schools where I live teach!!!

This book is boring
I am a student of elementary education at a University. I found this book boring. I feel that they could have done much more with it.

This book is actually the solutions manual for the text.
While I haven't actually read the book, I was informed by Addison Wesley that this isbn number is actually for the solutions manual. That's why it is so cheap. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Enjoy teaching with this book
There is indispensible "Study and Solutions Guide" on Amazon.com - but listed under the wrong title. Sent corrections with no result.
Search for 0618394818. ... Read more

Book Description

Even precalc with trigonometry can be painless with this text that bridges the ``understanding gap'' between typical student and the usual lengthy textbook, and it's great for AP Calculus test takers, too! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Better have some background
This is an okay introduction, however some of the explanations are hard to follow - and there aren't enough, and you definately need background in algebra before tackling this one. I would probably go with one of the "cliff's notes" mathematics books over this one.

It's okay for those who have some clue on the subject
This book was okay. I mean if I didn't remember what my teacher taught me I would be lost. I mean this book is to help you understand what your teacher has already taught you. I only use it as a review to refresh my memory, but if you want to learn it good luck. It doesn't cover all the material that pre-calculus needs. Basically this book covers mostly stuff from Algebra 2 and some from pre-calculus/trig. The book can be confusing for some parts, and other parts he explains pretty well. But basically if you want to better your pre-calculus skills you'll have to buy a separate book to quiz you. This book only has examples.

Hated It!
With all of the hype presented on the cover of this book, I was looking forward to reading it. I was also hoping that this book would easily prepare me for precalc. This book was as confusing and difficult to conceptualize as some of the "teachers" who teach the subject. I wasted my money. I spent more time trying to figure out what was going on in the book that it made me forget was was going on at the begining of the chapter. Again "Hated It".

Excellent Review for Calculus
This book provided an excellent review of the precalculus that is necessary to master calculus. His explanations are simple and precise. I highly recommend this book. It makes an intimidating subject matter like math easy to understand. ... Read more

Book Description

Tussy and Gustafson's fully integrated learning process is designed to expand students' reasoning abilities and teach them how to read, write, and think mathematically.In this thorough review of arithmetic and geometry, the authors also introduce the fundamental algebraic concepts needed by students who intend to take an introductory algebra course. Tussy and Gustafson build the strong mathematical foundation necessary to give students confidence to apply their newly acquired skills in further mathematics courses, at home, or on the job. ... Read more

Book Description

For those gearing up for pilot interviews, preparing for a check-ride or proficiency check, or looking to improve inflight calculations, this book offers invaluable tips and tricks to help in all areas of cockpit calculations. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

I am a bit puzzled
This book is over rated! It comes across as giving the pilot all these tips and formula's but falls way short on the task. First off, the typeset fills only half the page making the book in reality about 25 pages. It goes on to show you basic math found in any private pilot instruction guide. FH/C temp conversion, subtracting military time, and RVR which is all the same as in the NOS/Jep charts and Ops manuals for the plane you fly. The second half of the book has the times tables, subtraction tables, and division tables. He put fuel dump calculations in along with wet runway computations, this is not only a waste for pilots flying anything short of a jet, but worthless due to FMS and EFIS on bigger airplanes not to mention the F/E sitting sideways behind the captain. In short the book is outdated. finding reciprocals, compass turns to a heading, and ANDS are all in the flight manuals. In short this book fails to teach much. It is not worth the [price] that is for sure.

Essential for interview preperation.
This is an excellent book for anyone preparing for an airline interview. I was recently hired by a regional airline and several interview questions consisted of mental math problems. Buy this book and the ATP test prep....good luck!

Excellent study guide
If you are a little underconfident with your math skills,... Helped me review my math formulas and feel much more confident about having to do math in an airline interview. Good study book!

Way Overpriced!
Mr. McElroy's book has some neat math shortcuts for common aviation problems, but it is a pretty skinny book and not worth near the asking price. I've been an airline pilot for about 5 years, and a military pilot for about 10 before that. I'll admit that there were 2 or 3 shortcuts I didn't know (though less that I'll actually use!), but the prevailing comment among other airline pilots I showed it to were "You can tell the author is an airline pilot!" as they pointed to the $27+ price. I agree, this book is worth $10 or $12 tops. . .I could summarize all the shortcuts in a page or two. As for interview prep, you're better off using one of the books written specically for that purpose.

Excellent Interview Prep
This book covers all the neat little tricks to getting the job done quickly and right. It is also a great book for interview prep. Goes into detail on how to do the math problems and gives several ways to do the problems. There are also review problems at the end of each chapter. A must buy for interviews or if you are just looking for a way to make your flying job easier. ... Read more

Book Description

A symbol for what is not there, an emptiness that increases any number it's added to, an inexhaustible and indispensable paradox. As we enter the year 2000, zero is once again making its presence felt. Nothing itself, it makes possible a myriad of calculations. Indeed, without zero mathematics as we know it would not exist. And without mathematics our understanding of the universe would be vastly impoverished. But where did this nothing, this hollow circle, come from? Who created it? And what, exactly, does it mean?

Robert Kaplan's The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero begins as a mystery story, taking us back to Sumerian times, and then to Greece and India, piecing together the way the idea of a symbol for nothing evolved. Kaplan shows us just how handicapped our ancestors were in trying to figure large sums without the aid of the zero. (Try multiplying CLXIV by XXIV). Remarkably, even the Greeks, mathematically brilliant as they were, didn't have a zero--or did they? We follow the trail to the East where, a millennium or two ago, Indian mathematicians took another crucial step. By treating zero for the first time like any other number, instead of a unique symbol, they allowed huge new leaps forward in computation, and also in our understanding of how mathematics itself works.

In the Middle Ages, this mathematical knowledge swept across western Europe via Arab traders. At first it was called "dangerous Saracen magic" and considered the Devil's work, but it wasn't long before merchants and bankers saw how handy this magic was, and used it to develop tools like double-entry bookkeeping. Zero quickly became an essential part of increasingly sophisticated equations, and with the invention of calculus, one could say it was a linchpin of the scientific revolution. And now even deeper layers of this thing that is nothing are coming to light: our computers speak only in zeros and ones, and modern mathematics shows that zero alone can be made to generate everything.

Robert Kaplan serves up all this history with immense zest and humor; his writing is full of anecdotes and asides, and quotations from Shakespeare to Wallace Stevens extend the book's context far beyond the scope of scientific specialists.For Kaplan, the history of zero is a lens for looking not only into the evolution of mathematics but into very nature of human thought. He points out how the history of mathematics is a process of recursive abstraction: how once a symbol is created to represent an idea, that symbol itself gives rise to new operations that in turn lead to new ideas.The beauty of mathematics is that even though we invent it, we seem to be discovering something that already exists.

The joy of that discovery shines from Kaplan's pages, as he ranges from Archimedes to Einstein, making fascinating connections between mathematical insights from every age and culture.A tour de force of science history, The Nothing That Is takes us through the hollow circle that leads to infinity. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Tour de force
Kaplan's book is a tour de force. Bridging philosophy, history and, oh yes, mathematics, he takes us through a romp of human intellectual history. He makes the argument, that zero, like death, is at the base of a culture's understanding of the world. At the beginning of the book's journey, such a claim would seem outlandish, but by the end, we have returned home throughly convinced and pleased to have made the trip. It is a pleasure to read a creative mind at play.

A history of a difficult idea we take for granted
This is the sort of book I like to take with me on a long airplane trip. It's easy to read in the airport, or the plane, it's small, it's paperback, and it's got enough intellectual validity to it that I don't feel like I'm vegetating or wasting my time.

Before reading this book, pay close attention to the subtitle: "A natural history of zero." That's important in understanding what this book is about. I hadn't looked closely enough when I picked it up. I'd expected it to be more along the lines of Paul J. Nahin's book "An imaginary tale: the story of root -1." A quick flip through the book was enough to show it didn't have Nahin's load of equations, but still, I was expecting more of a math book than a history book.

This is mostly a history book. It contains several different chapters that describe how ancient people first came to conceptualize the concept of zero, or nothing. This idea was wrapped up in many different cultural/religious customs/superstitions/traditions that resulted in some cultures embracing the idea, while others shunned it and only accepted it later. Often, those who rejected, and then accepted the notion of zero did so out of shear practicality because of the numerical utility of the concept in keeping track of the sale and distribution of goods. Often this was accompanied by the gradual reinterpretation of religious notions.

This process of accepting zero as a number was often an evolutionary one. As Kaplan says: "despite its power to extend the empire of numbers, we have yet to see zero treated as a number itself. It evolved from a punctuation mark and long kept its supernumerary character - no more a number than a comma is a letter."

This is an excellent book for anyone who might take our system of numbers and counting for granted. Kaplan includes several examples of ancient counting systems - without zero - and shows how painfully difficult those systems were for solving even simple problems. For example, "Roman-style counting confused the issue, since there was no year zero between 1 BC and 1 AD; hence millennialists had to reckon then - as they do now - with the difficulty that years ending in zero were the last of their decade, century, or millennium, not the first of the next..."

The book isn't just history. There are lots of practical and interesting discussions about zero as they apply to mathematics, too. There are some fun and interesting graphical examples pertaining to concepts from calculus toward the books end.

Not exactly light reading, and not too heavy, either. But definitely interesting reading, I very much enjoyed this book, and recommend it enthusiastically.

What is nothing?
It may be hard see the problem now, but the concept of zero was a tough one for people to accept. How can I do anything with something that is, by definition, not something?

This is a history of zero, the mathematical concept. As with most great ideas, it had no real beginning. Instead, Kaplan presents a patchwork where parts of the concept appeared, traveled, vanished, merged, and re-emerged many times. Persia, India, Greece - all have some claim to some part of zero's heritage. Europe was the latecomer, accepting zero only after declaring it the work of the devil or the devil himself!

There is no, or almost no math here. That shows remarkable restraint on Kaplan's part, since he clearly knows the mathematical history at least as well as the social history presented here. The low-math style keep the tone light, and makes it easy to appreciate Kaplan's far-ranging and amusing style. In fact, a few of the very last chapters are so far-ranging and draw so many distant analogies that they contain near-zero amounts of zero itself. That isn't a problem, though, since Kaplan's whirlwind tour of history, astronomy, literature, theology, and more is entertaining by itself.

It's a fun read and full of amusing facts, but comes across a bit 'lite'. Kaplan is explicit: weaving a whole historical cloth from these many threads would be demanding enough to kill the pleasure of the story. Academic rigor is clearly a choice open to Kaplan, and he declined.

This is a good beach book for anyone, but especially if your tan usually comes from the glow of a CRT.

Zero is more than meets the eye
A concise but definitive history of zero through the ages. A concept that to us seems so natural and necessary, has been anything but that in past ages and civilizations. When you think about it, though, a symbol designating nothing is a rather abstract concept. The idea of a "placeholder", of course, needs the concept of "places" and that is even a more advanced concept. I found the book very well written and entertaining.

The story of Zero
Two books discuss the concept of zero. They are "The nothing that Is: A Natural History of Zero" by Robert Kaplan (1999) and "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seiff (2000). The books tackle the same subject but are significantly different in their approach.

Both books recognize the difficulties zero caused to the Greeks and their successors. Kaplan emphasizes the mysticism of zero. His book describes the confusion and avoidance of "nothing" throughout civilized history. While there is a smattering of mathematical concepts, the book is mostly an essay revolving about nihilism. This seems somewhat strange as Robert Kaplan has "taught mathematics to people from six to sixty. He is the co-founder of The Math Circle, a program open to the public for the enjoyment of pure mathematics."

Seiff's story also includes descriptions of mankind's concern over "nothing" but emphasizes the solutions reached by mathematicians. The book is full of mathematical and physical concepts related to zero.

If one is interested in philosophy, read Kaplan. If Math is the desired area, read Seiff. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a general introduction to the theory of schemes, followed by applications to arithmetic surfaces and to the theory of reduction of algebraic curves. The first part introduces basic objects such as schemes, morphisms, base change, local properties (normality, regularity, Zariski's Main Theorem). This is followed by the more global aspect: coherent sheaves and a finiteness theorem for their cohomology groups. Then follows a chapter on sheaves of differentials, dualizing sheaves, and grothendieck's duality theory. The first part ends with the theorem of Riemann-Roch and its application to the study of smooth projective curves over a field. Singular curves are treated through a detailed study of the Picard group. The second part starts with blowing-ups and desingularization (embedded or not) of fibered surfaces over a Dedekind ring that leads on to intersection theory on arithmetic surfaces. Castelnuovo's criterion is proved and also the existence of the minimal regular model. This leads to the study of reduction of algebraic curves. The case of elliptic curves is studied in detail. The book concludes with the fundamental theorem of stable reduction of Deligne-Mumford. The book is essentially self-contained, including the necessary material on commutative algebra. The prerequisites are therefore few, and the book should suit a graduate student. It contains many examples and nearly 600 exercises. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very good exposition
Liu's book has two distinct parts to it. The first 7 chapters combine to give a wonderful exposition of the language of schemes; the other chapters are of a specialised nature and concentrate on arithmetic curves. I will talk about the former. (So when I say "this book", I am only referring to the first 7 chapters)

The book starts off with a chapter on some topics in basic commutative algebra - localisation, flatness and completion. Once this is done, the stage is set to introduce schemes in the next chapter and prove their basic properties. Chapter 3 talks about morphisms of schemes and base change. Chapter 4 continues with a discussion of morphisms and also presents some results about some special types of schemes (normal, regular). It culminates with a proof of Zariski's main theorem. The next chapter takes up sheaf cohomology and is followed up with a chapter on differential calculus on schemes (Kahler differentials, duality theory). Lastly, chapter 7 takes up divisors, proves the Riemann Roch theorem and culminates with some applications to curves.

At a first glance, this would basically look like Hartshorne - the most popular book for an introduction to schemes. However, there are few differences which I will point out. Firstly, Hartshorne emphasizes geometric applications and, as such, uses algebraically closed fields freely. Liu, on the other hand, does not hesistate to give arithmetic applications whenever possible and, therefore, tries to relax the hypotheses on the base field whenever possible. Secondly, Liu is much more readable than Hartshorne which, in its supreme elegance, is a tad dense for a first reading. Unlike Hartshorne, a majority of important results are not presented in the exercises (though many are!). Moreover, unlike Harshorne, this book develops all the necessary commutative algebra along the way (chapter 1,2 of Atiyah-Macdonald should be good enough to read this book). Coming back to the geometry, Hartshorne's chapter 4,5 form an excellent resource for classical geometric applications for theory of schemes. Moreover, chapter 1 presents a very readable and scheme-free account of classical algebraic geometry (pre-Grothendieck) in the language of varieties. Liu's book, however, does not emphasize classical or geometric applications and is not the best place to start if one wishes to learn about varieties.

In the current literature on algebraic geometry, there is a noticeable void. Namely, on one hand, we have Grothendieck's "Elements" (EGA) which present all results about schemes and sheaf cohomology in utmost generality, prove everything with excruciating detail, and are almost unreadable as texts (they're a great references). On the other hand, we have Hartshorne which is basically a beautiful summary of EGA along with geometric applications, but is quite hard to read for an introduction. The book under review is not as concise as Hartshorne's book, presents arithmetic applications and is more readable in a reasonable amount of time than EGA.

In conclusion, this book should be an invaluable resource to anyone who wishes to learn about schemes, especially with arithmetic applications in mind. For those inclined towards geometry, an account of schemes from this book coupled with applications from another book (like Hartshorne) would be a good combination. ... Read more

Book Description

Entertaining, easy-to-follow suggestions for developing greater speed and accuracy in doing mathematical calculations. Surefire methods for multiplying without carrying, dividing with half the pencil work of long division, plus advice on how to add and subtract rapidly; how to check for accuracy, master fractions, work quickly with decimals, handle percentages and much more. A valuable how-to book for anyone working with numbers on a variety of levels.
... Read more

Reviews (4)

the best speed math book i've yet found
This book should be used to teach children mathematics in our schools. The concepts are simple and clearly described.
Unlike math i learned in grade school you only need to know addition up to 10 and the multiplication table to 9 times.
It is the first unified speed math concept book that teaches a fast way to do mental calculations without memorizing a multitude of various rules for specific mathematical situations.
After reading this, i have stopped searching for any further speed math books because i doubt any could compare.

VERY INTERESTING HISTORICALLY
but somewhat out of date. Stoddard attempts to apply abacus methods to mental calcualation. I found this book fun reading but a more practical book covering the same ground is Handley's SPEED MATHEMATICS.

Shocking!
To find out that everything you were taught in school about arithmetic was the slow dumb way to do it is a slap in the face. If you can handle that and are willing to have and open mind about it, this is the book for you. I have to say the methods are very different from what you learned, but it still builds apon the knowledge you already have about basic math. You must work at it though, simply reading will not help much. However if you follow the instructions you will exponentially increase your speed and without having to think about it as much as your use to. I am not much of a math person and I found the results very surprising. Buy it, period.

Do you want to calculate twice as fast as you do now? I do.
So why don't you buy this book, then? You will not be dissapointed. It covers addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Completely new algorithms for solving arithmetic problems. Everything you learned in school is wortless compared to those techniques. Of course, you must study them carefully. You will not be a genius after skimming this book on one day, but the one who study it carefully will be on he's way. The only reason it didn't get 5 starts is that there must be one left to "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" ;) ... Read more

Book Description

This self-paced instruction guide serves as mathematics reference to understanding and solving problems in technical and trade vocations.It contains over 4000 exercises and 1300 word problems that illustrate principles in practical situations encountered in the labor market. This book only requires a prior “knowledge” of number awareness in order to master topics such as percentages, ratio and proportion, practical algebra, metric measurements, and geometrical constructions.For anyone interested in a technical or vocational career and looking for a chance to apply useful mathematical principles to practical problems. ... Read more

Book Description

From balancing the checkbook to figuring out how long to cook a turkey, this revised edition of the incredible bestselling math guide (100,000 copies sold) provides easy answers to everyday practical math problems. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good for the occasional reference
I don't use this book much but it is good for the occasional reference. I used it for the Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion when my baby was running a fever and the only thermometer I could find was Celsius.

A good book for Pre Algebra and fun to read
I wouldn't say it's the only math book you need but it has a lot math facts for student starting Algebra and for Grow ups to it's one of those around the house math books but kids well learn there math from this book ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Gem of Exposition
This book needs no review, as it is so well-known. But reading the first critique about the need for a more intuitive development of the subject, perhaps one viewpoint is worth restating. This book is a model of concise exposition. All of Milnor's works are written in a fashion that "makes it clear", except that sometimes years of thought are really needed to see the essence of the arguments. The writing sets up the framework for understanding, and the reader must work to fill it in. This is what makes it great writing. The reader accepts the truth of the statements, but Milnor does not bludgeon the reader with details which can be filled in by a professional mathematician. Or as many of us understand it, when you can fill in all the details, you have developed geometric intuition and are on the way to a deeper understanding of the subject.

Each chapter of the book is a classic. Chapter 2 on Riemannian geometry gives an overview of the subject which can be used as a basis for teaching a course on the same. When the students can fill in the details, they understand the core of the subject.

An important book
Morse theory is about finding geometric information about manifolds using analysis of functions(smooth functions) having these manifolds as their domain. The important fact is that Morse theory can be generalized to infinite dimensional manifolds (i.e. understanding the "geometric" structure of these manifolds using analysis of functions defined on the manifolds). Milnor's book motivate the "infinite" Morse theory in the first chapter explaining finite Morse theory very clearly and in a beautifull manner. The second chapter is preliminaries on Riemannian geometry which leads to the second part of the book about infinite Morse theory. To be more clear:the spaces/manifolds are path spaces on lie groups (compact lie groups mostly ) and the functions on these spaces are "energy" functions of these paths.
Once the reader understand the first chapter, the infinite dimentional Morse theory is much more easy to understand.
And Milnor does a very good job explaining the similarity.
The final chapter shows some implications of Morse theoy in particular Bott periodicity theorem.
One remark is in order for someone who doesnt know(Riemannian) geometry the book can be very hard to read, so I recommend as a starting point the beautiful book of Matsumoto "Morse theory" this is avery good book in a basic level which can serve as a very good introduction to milnor's book.

The best
When I was just becoming a mathematician, my teacher gave me this book, saying "You're not ready for this yet, but you should have it --- it's the best piece of mathematical exposition there is." Maybe that claim's exaggerated, but I've yet to find one I prefer. Along with Milnor's Lectures on the h-Cobordism Theorem, and his Characteristic Classes, this book is a lesson not only in topology (and wonderful topology, too!), but in clear writing as well.

A real landmark in topology.
Perhaps everyone who has had a bite in topology feels that this book is too famous to be given any kind of reference. The above having been said, this book is really a gem, elegantly explaining the Bott periodicity in the spirit of the original article by Bott. Of course, a simpler proof using K-theory has been available since the sixties, but that does not deteriorate the value of this book. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An interesting approach to differential equations
I read the preceding reviews and don't find what was said untrue.The simplicity and algorithmically solved problems, however, belie the sophisticated look at functions.My students found the work with difference equations difficult because of the symbolic manipulation, but their teacher (me), appreciated how the text took the idea of derivatives, reduced this concept into a discrete function, and concluded with the antiderivative.Very clever.

The text is wordy and explains theory very poorly.
The text is very wordy and problems could be answered in the book or in asolutions manual. Very few illustrations are a problem.Our Prof. had toexplain several mistakes in the text that were completely incorrect.

A poorly designed and edited introduction to Precalculus.
This textbook, although presenting a basic approach to the fundamentals of Precalculus, provides a cluttered collection of confusing explanations and poorly edited questions. The cover proves to be the best designed part of the bookl; inside there is little illustration and lots of wordy text. The book contains no full set of answers which could often leave a teacher stranded in some of its poorly phrased, misguided questions. Overall, a poorly conceived, designed, edited, and published textbook. ... Read more