Algebra and Trigonometry (4th Edition)

Book Preface

In writing this textbook we challenged ourselves to do everything possible to help you learn the concepts and skills contained between its covers so that you will be successful in this course and in the mathematics courses you take in the future. Every feature we have included was done with this in mind. We realize that your time is both valuable and limited, so we communicate in a highly visual way that allows you to focus easily and learn quickly and efficiently. We feel confident that, if you are willing to invest an adequate amount of your time in the learning process, this text will be of great value to you. Best wishes for a positive learning experience,

Judy Beecher
Judy Penna
Marv Bittinger

Algebra and Trigonometry, Fourth Edition, covers college-level algebra and trigonometry and is appropriate for a one- or two-term course in precalculus mathematics. This textbook is known for enabling students to “see the math” through its focus on visualization, early introduction to functions, and making connections between math concepts and the real world. Additional information is presented on these themes in the pages that follow.

With the new edition, we continue to innovate by incorporating more ongoing review to help students develop understanding and study effectively.We have new Mid-Chapter Mixed Review exercise sets to give students an extra opportunity to master concepts and new Study Guides which provide built-in tools to help prepare for tests. Specific content changes to the Fourth Edition are outlined below.

MyMathLab® has been expanded so that the online content is even more integrated with the text’s approach, with the addition of Vocabulary, Synthesis, and Mid-Chapter Mixed Review exercises from the text as well as example-based videos that we created. Our overarching goal is to provide students with a learning experience that will not only lead to success in this course but also prepare them to be successful in the mathematics courses they take in the future.

Content Changes to the Fourth Edition

In this Fourth Edition, we have changed the table of contents to make the material at the beginning of the text more easily taught and learned.We have balanced and evened out the lengths of Chapters 1–3 in the Third Edition by presenting the material in four chapters in the Fourth Edition.

By spreading this material out over four chapters and presenting it in a different order, we provide the student with a more even-handed and consistent introduction to Algebra and Trigonometry. The new arrangement is well suited to a one-section per-lecture class format.We think students and instructors alike will be pleased with the changes that have been made.

â–  The material on increasing, decreasing, and piecewise functions, along with the discussion of the algebra of functions, composition of functions, and symmetry and transformations that was in Chapter 1 in the Third Edition, has been moved to a separate chapter (Chapter 2) in the Fourth Edition.
â–  The algebra of functions and composition of functions are now presented in two sections rather than one.
â–  The material on linear equations, linear functions, and linear inequalities has been moved from Chapter 2 in the Third Edition, to Chapter 1 in the Fourth Edition, where functions are introduced.
â–  The chapter on polynomial functions and rational functions has been shortened by moving the section on variation to Chapter 2 in the Fourth Edition.
â–  The discussion of equations and inequalities with absolute value that was presented in different sections in the Third Edition is now combined in a single section in the Fourth Edition.
â–  In Chapter R, the review chapter, the section that reviews equation solving has been moved to appear now before the sections on rational expressions, radical notation, and rational exponents.
â–  The material on solving formulas for a specified letter has been moved from Chapter 2 in the Third Edition to Chapter R in the Fourth Edition so that it can be reviewed before it is used to solve a linear equation for one of the variables in Chapter 1.