Buy Low Price From Here Now
Clear explanations, an uncluttered and appealing layout, and examples and exercises featuring a variety of real-life applications have made this text popular among students year after year. This latest edition of Swokowski and Cole's PRECALCULUS: FUNCTIONS AND GRAPHS retains these features. The problems have been consistently praised for being at just the right level for precalculus students like you. The book also provides calculator examples, including specific keystrokes that show you how to use various graphing calculators to solve problems more quickly. Perhaps most important-this book effectively prepares you for further courses in mathematics.
Readmore
Technical Details
See more technical details
By Orlando (Silver Spring, MD USA)
If you have to buy this for a college class, then your are stuck. But if you learning precalculus on your own, stay away from this book! First, the book lacks clarity. You are left wondering what's going on. Secondly, no thoroughness. It supposedly 'teaches' a section then you are off to the next. Lastly, it dives into 'heavy' and sometimes irrelevant material, making the student feel lost. Not sure what's going on with this book? I got all As in Math -- This book is terrible!
By Aara
This book made learning Precalculus so easy. Everything the author said was perfectly clear. The examples allowed me to literally ace every test I had, and this was for College Pre-Cal! I recommend this to everyone who needs to take a PreCalculus class
By MSWenger (Laytonsville, MD)
Well if it wasn't required for class, it is not a book I would go out of my way to purchase. However, the book shipped immediately, was $80 less than I could get at the school bookstore and was in new condition.
By Travis Miller (Illinois)
As one can tell from the other reviews this textbook is disliked by many who use it (or at least those that take the time to review it). Overall I must agree with many of the comments made by others, such as the fact that the book is not very clear with its explanations. It seems that while the authors try to be rigorous in their explanations (they explain things in a mathematically formal way) they forget that their audience is the student and not the professor.
An issue that no one else has mentioned is the authors fetish for simplifying every answer as much as possible. This is an issue that creates a lot of headaches when you try to do the world problems in the book, because although you may get close to the "answer" provided you will likely get lost trying to figure out the last few steps. More than once my professor has been left utterly confused as she tried to explain how the authors arrived at their final answer, luckily she does not force us to simplify as much as the authors do.
If you are a student who has to use this book you shouldn't let the other reviews scare you; While there are better textbooks out there this textbook is useable. However, your class will go a lot smoother if you have a good math professor.
By B.M.
This book, was obviously written by brilliant people. Unfortunately knowing mathematics does not mean you qualify for writing a book or being a teacher. Swokowski and Cole and the entire aid staff obviously have no real world teaching experience whatsoever. This book is written in pure mathematical theory, not english. I heave heard of leaning by immersion, but drowning the student in pure theory-talk without introducing it, extreme application problems, and a lack of clear cut ..anything, does not force the students to learn through struggle, it basically just overwhelms them into despair. The solution manual is a must, if you want a basic grasp of any of the presented concepts.
Look, if you can avoid using this book, please do so, at any cost. If you can't, then you need to move in with a tutor. Also, take the time to yell at your institution. You shouldn't be paying them to waist your time with this poor material.
Makes a great fix for a coffee table :D.
Buy Precalculus: Functions and Graphs (with CengageNOW Printed Access Card) Now
