College Trigonometry
A quick glance at the table of contents shows that all the major topics of a college trigonometry course are included. We cover Conics and Rational Functions in our Trigonometry course. While not found in this textbook, they are covered in the companion College Algebra textbook. We will have to combine the two text books is some form to continue the same coverage as we have enjoyed in the past.
Accuracy is something best judged when using the textbook during the semester and not during a quick review. It seems to be as accurate as any textbook I have used. I like the simple layout. The graphs and diagrams are clean and straight to the point. I am concerned that the few aviation problems use bearings, instead of a compass. Aviation uses due North as 0 degrees and the angles open clockwise to 360 degrees. As we have a very large Aviation Technology program at Purdue, we will have to edit the text for these problems.
Trigonometry concepts have not changed for centuries and I expect they will not during my lifetime. The graphing calculator diagrams are fine as long as students are using that type of graphing calculator or if they are allowed to use one. However, that is the great thing about this format. As technology changes, we simple upload an updated version of the textbook. I do not see relevance as an issue.
I like the ease of language and pace of the author's voice. It seems more of a conversion rather than a lecture. At some point, it is impossible to avoid mathematical talk, and students will have to read, and reread, sections to fully understand a concept. Brief history lessons as to why the word tangent is used is a nice touch. The grey boxes are easy to understand and highlight important information. The text is clean and to the point.
The text is consistent and to the point. It looks to use the same tempo and language throughout the chapters. The pace is easy going. I did not see any large changes in language or evidence that different people wrote each chapter. It all fits nicely.
This is tough to determine until we give is a serious look and see how it fits with our current course offering. It seems to be very easy to divide into lessons and rearrange if necessary. We have to get 40 lessons out of this textbook and it looks like that will be easy to accomplish. We will have to drag in some chapter and sections from the companion College Algebra text to complete our course. Again, that is the beauty of this format.
Only 2 chapters, so hard to get disorganized, however, I like that it introduces the unit circle early. It has the normal flow through the topics. Again, we would have to use some of the earlier chapters from the companion College Algebra textbook to fill in the missing topics that are covered in our Trigonometry course.
I do not see any problems with the graphs, diagrams, or examples. The textbook has very clean and clear graphs that add to the students understanding of the material. Now, to get the students to read and study the text...
Wow, you are asking a math major to critique the textbook's grammar! It looks fine.
No problems.
As mentioned before, the aviation problems will have to be edited for accuracy. I am sure we will have other edits if we adopt this textbook, however, it provides a great platform for us to create exactly what we need.