Cynthia Young's Precalculus, 4th edition helps students take the guesswork out of studying by offering them an easy to read and clear roadmap that tells them what to do, how to do it, and whether they did it right. With this revision, the author focuses on the most difficult topics in precalculus, bringing clarity to challenging learning objectives.
Skills and Concepts
Learning objectives are purposely separated out into two categories at the beginning of every section providing students with skills they should be able to do and objectives for what students should understand. These are reinforced with both skill exercises and conceptual exercises promoting a deeper understanding of topics.
Catch the Mistake
In every section, Catch the Mistake exercises place the students in the role of the instructor grading homework. Finding the mistake demonstrates a higher level of understanding and reinforces what they have learned.
Parallel Words and Math
College Algebra reverses the common presentation of examples by placing the explanation in words on the left and the mathematics in parallel on the right. This reflects how students are instructed in class by telling them what step is coming and performing the mathematical step together.