Algebra Demystified : A Self Teaching Guide (Demystified) PDF
Preview Algebra Demystified : A Self Teaching Guide (Demystified)
ALGEBRA DEMYSTIFIED Other Titles in the McGraw-Hill Demystified Series Astronomy Demystified by Stan Gibilisco Calculus Demystified by Steven G. Krantz Physics Demystified by Stan Gibilisco ALGEBRA DEMYSTIFIED RHONDA HUETTENMUELLER McGRAW-HILL New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 0-07-141210-7 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-138993-8 All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designa- tions appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. For more information, please contact George Hoare, Special Sales, at To all those who struggle with math This page intentionally left blank. For more information about this book, click here. CONTENTS Preface ix CHAPTER 1 Fractions 1 CHAPTER 2Introduction to Variables 37 CHAPTER 3 Decimals 55 CHAPTER 4 Negative Numbers 65 CHAPTER 5 Exponents and Roots 79 CHAPTER 6 Factoring 113 CHAPTER 7 Linear Equations 163 CHAPTER 8 Linear Applications 197 CHAPTER 9 Linear Inequalities 285 CHAPTER 10 Quadratic Equations 319 CHAPTER 11 Quadratic Applications 353 Appendix 417 Final Review 423 Index 437 vii Copyright 2003 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use. This page intentionally left blank. PREFACE This book is designed to take the mystery out of algebra. Each section con- tains exactly one new idea—unlike most math books, which cover several ideas at once. Clear, brief explanations are followed by detailed examples. Each section ends with a few Practice problems, most similar to the examples. Solutions to the Practice problems are also given in great detail. The goal is to help you understand the algebra concepts while building your skills and confidence. Each chapter ends with a Chapter Review, a multiple-choice test designed to measure your mastery of the material. The Chapter Review could also be used as a pretest. If you think you understand the material in a chapter, take the Chapter Review test. If you answer all of the questions correctly, then you can safely skip that chapter. When taking any multiple-choice test, work the problems before looking at the answers. Sometimes incorrect answers look reasonable and can throw you off. Once you have finished the book, take the Final Review, which is a multiple-choice test based on material from each chapter. Spend as much time in each section as you need. Try not to rush, but do make a commitment to learning on a schedule. If you find a concept difficult, you might need to work the problems and examples several times. Try not to jump around from section to section as most sections extend topics from previous sections. Not many shortcuts are used in this book. Does that mean you shouldn’t use them? No. What you should do is try to find the shortcuts yourself. Once you have found a method that seems to be a shortcut, try to figure out why it works. If you understand how a shortcut works, you are less likely to use it incorrectly (a common problem with algebra students). Because many find fraction arithmetic difficult, the first chapter is devoted almost exclusively to fractions. Make sure you understand the steps in this chapter because they are the same steps used in much of the rest of the book. For example, the steps used to compute 376 þ 156 are exactly those used to 2x 6 compute x2 þ x 2 þ x þ 2. ix Copyright 2003 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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