College Algebra (Collegiate Math) 2nd Edition

Book Preface

Clear, Precise Writing

Because a diverse group of students take this course, Julie Miller has written this manuscript to use simple and acces-sible language. Through her friendly and engaging writing style, students are able to understand the material easily.

Exercise Sets

The exercises at the end of each section are graded, varied, and carefully organized to maximize student learning:

• Prerequisite Review Exercises begin the section-level exercises and ensure that students have the foundational skills to complete the homework sets successfully.
• Concept Connections prompt students to review the vocabulary and key concepts presented in the section.
• Core Exercises are presented next and are grouped by objective. These exercises are linked to examples in the text and direct students to similar problems whose solutions have been stepped-out in detail.
• Mixed Exercises do not refer to specific examples so that students can dip into their mathematical toolkit and decide on the best technique to use.
• Write About It exercises are designed to emphasize mathematical language by asking students to explain important concepts.
• Technology Connections require the use of a graphing utility and are found at the end of exercise sets. They can be easily skipped for those who do not encourage the use of calculators.
• Expanding Your Skills Exercises challenge and broaden students’ understanding of the material.

Problem Recognition Exercises

Problem Recognition Exercises appear in strategic locations in each chapter of the text. These exercises provide students with an opportunity to synthesize multiple concepts and decide which problem-solving technique to apply to a given problem.

Examples

• The examples in the textbook are stepped-out in detail with thorough annotations at the right explaining each step.
• Following each example is a similar Skill Practice exercise to engage students by practicing what they have just learned.
• For the instructor, references to an even-numbered exercise are provided next to each example. These exercises are highlighted with blue circles in the exercise sets and mirror the related examples. With increased demands on faculty time, this has been a popular feature that helps faculty write their lectures and develop their presentation of material. If an instructor presents all of the highlighted exercises, then each objective of that section of text will be covered.

Modeling and Applications
One of the most important tools to motivate our students is to make the mathematics they learn meaningful in their lives. The textbook is filled with robust applications and numerous opportunities for mathematical modeling for those instructors looking to incorporate these features into their course.

Callouts

Throughout the text, popular tools are included to highlight important ideas. These consist of:

• Tip boxes that offer additional insight to a concept or procedure.
• Avoiding Mistakes boxes that fend off common mistakes.
• Point of Interest boxes that offer interesting and historical mathematical facts.
• Instructor Notes to assist with lecture preparation.

Graphing Calculator Coverage

Material is presented throughout the book illustrating how a graphing utility can be used to view a concept in a graphical manner. The goal of the calculator material is not to replace algebraic analysis, but rather, to enhance understanding with a visual approach. Graphing calculator examples are placed in self-contained boxes and may be skipped by instructors who choose not to implement the calculator. Similarly, the graphing calculator exercises are found at the end of the exercise sets and may also be easily skipped.

End-of-Chapter Materials
The textbook has the following end-of-chapter materials for students to review before test time:

• Brief summary with references to key concepts. A detailed summary is located at www.mhhe.com/millercollegealgebra.
• Chapter review exercises.
• Chapter test.
• Cumulative review exercises. These exercises cover concepts in the current chapter as well as all preceding chapters.

Updates to College Algebra:

• Two new sections, “Algebra for Calculus” and “Equations and Inequalities for Calculus”, were added to Chapter R and Chapter 1. These additions provide STEM students an opportunity to connect current topics to what they’ll learn in calculus.
• New “Prerequisite Review” exercises appear in every section. These allow students to ensure they have the necessary foundational skills to be successful in the section.
• Over 600 algorithmic homework exercises were added to Connect Math Hosted by ALEKS to ensure 90%textbook coverage.
• SmartBook content has been revised and enriched. For the first time, SmartBook is now available within Connect Math Hosted by ALEKS.
• 1200 new questions were added to the TestGen testbank.
• Graphing calculator screenshots have been updated to reflect the TI-84 Plus C.
• Section 2.7 for investigating increasing, decreasing, and constant behavior of a function now presents open intervals. This has also been updated in all of the digital materials accompanying the text.
• Sections R.1, R.2, 1.7 & 1.8 have been streamlined to provide greater clarity.
• New applications appear in Chapter 7 to provide students more real-world context for conic sections.
• Applications and real-world data have been updated, where appropriate, to ensure that content remains relevant and current.
• Wolfram Alpha Activities have been added to the Instructor’s Resource Manual to allow students to explore college algebra in greater depth.