Precalculus - Hardcover

What does a student really need to know to prepare for calculus? This question has motivated the writing of this text.To be prepared to study calculus a student needs not only technical skills, but also a clear understanding of concepts in other words, a proper appreciation for what mathematics is all about. We believe that nearly all instructors are committed to the goal of transmitting conceptual understanding. This book was written to provide such instructors and their students with the tools needed to achieve this goal.The calculus reform movement has obvious implications for the teaching of pre -calculus. Indeed, the goals of this movement (the primary goal is a focus on conceptual understanding) are best served by implementing its strategies in the precalculus curriculum. In practical implementations of the goals of reform, instructors are using many different approaches. Some use technology to help students become active learners; others use the rule of four, "topics should be presented geometrically, numerically, algebraically, and verbally, " as well as an expanded emphasis on applications to promote conceptual reasoning; still others use group learning or writing exercises as a way of encouraging students to explore their own understanding of a given concept. In this book we have used all these methods of presenting precalculus mathematics as enhancements to a central core of fundamental skills. These methods are tools to be utilized by instructors and their students to chart their own course of action towards the goal of conceptual understanding.