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    Algebra and Trigonometry 2e

    Reviewed by G. Brock Williams, Professor, Texas Tech University on 3/27/18

    Comprehensiveness rating: 5

    This book covers all the standard topics of both a college algebra and trigonometry course. I could only find two topics that I wish were included (neither are typically included college algebra and trigonometry texts).

    The first was a discussion of the importance of proof in mathematics. Otherwise students can (and usually do) just see the trig identity section as "a bunch of stuff to memorize and symbols to push around" without understanding their importance.

    The second was the inclusion of Euler's formula when covering the polar form of complex numbers.

    Content Accuracy rating: 5

    I could find no mistakes.

    Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

    The actual course material hasn't changed of course in the last 200 years, so there is little chance of the material itself rendering the text obsolete. The greater danger is in examples that could seem dated in a few years. Care seems to have been taken in this regard. The only examples I noticed that I thought might seem out of place were problems that involved the cost of phone service. They seem to have been written with land lines in mind, and might have been better expressed as costs for data plans.

    Clarity rating: 4

    The book is clear and straightforward. It could be described as "no-nonsense". It doesn't "sparkle" or contain moments of humor that would draw students in.

    Consistency rating: 5

    Notation and assumed pre-requisites are consistent.

    Modularity rating: 4

    Modularity is not very easy to achieve (and often not highly desirable) in a math text that by necessity builds step by step on prior knowledge. However, this book does present the trigonometry in a way that could be separated from the algebra, making this a suitable book for a course on just college trigonometry.

    Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

    One of the things I most like about this text (especially the algebra half) is that topics are organized in a way that requires revisiting and deepening the understanding of earlier topics.
    For example, the book introduces polynomials and factoring polynomials in chapter 1, then comes back to solving quadratic equations (completing the square, etc) in the middle of chapter 2, then graphing quadratics by completing the square in chapter 5, then graphs and roots of general polynomials.

    Its treatment of linear functions is similar beginning with solving (one-variable) linear equations at the beginning of chapter 2, then linear inequalities at the end of chapter 2, before graphing and linear regression in chapter 4.

    This spiraling back to re-visit topics is one of the best features of the text.

    Interface rating: 4

    The online version of the book is reasonably easy to navigate with no significant problems. The high-quality pdf version is a bit large, however, and slower machines may have trouble scrolling through the whole file.

    Grammatical Errors rating: 5

    I noticed no grammatical errors.

    Cultural Relevance rating: 5

    I noticed no culturally offensive material.

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