Beginning Algebra (5th Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Understandable
Review: This text, combined with quality instruction helped me earn an "A" in my first class in 13 years! Not only that, but it's the first "A" I've ever received in a math class! Hands down, my best exposure to math ever!

Rating:
Summary: You can do better than this!
Review: This widely-acclaimed textbook by Tobey & Slater is a valiant attempt to make elementary algebra both interesting and anxiety-free. I have been using this textbook [both 4th and now 5th editions] to teach in over 30 classes so far at a
community college and have found the book, despite its good intentions, to have many flaws, some of which I would like to touch upon here. The book comes equipped with many extras, such as lecture videos on CD ROM and internet support. I think the study tip boxes scattered throughout the text are condescending to the student and don't belong in an elementary algebra textbook. [If we want to avoid the words "beginning" ,"introductory", "elementary" in the title couldn't we just say "a first course in algebra" or just " algebra I"?] Next, the many "pretests" are a distraction and make no sense in this book. I've noticed that they cause anxiety and I never use them. Chapter "0" reviews basic math and could stand a lot better organization, which I have to do myself. One glaring omission in this chapter is proportion. Proportions are used to solve for a numerator after finding a LCD but the topic is put off until chapter 6 and even then barely discussed.But proportion is the key linking concept for all of our basic math and this omission, in my opinion , could prove disastrous as the course proceeds.The "blueprint for problem solving" seems useless, and I never refer to it. I am still mystified by what they are attempting to communicate. The touted "real-life" applications also seem rather contrived, repetitive, condescending, and plain boring ,so I hardly ever assign these problems. However, the "organizers" at the end of each chapter are superb. They neatly summarize every section and give an example or two as illustrations of the method. The algebra in Chap 1 is good, but could also stand better organization. I have a quarrel with modern notation of signed numbers. They should write the signs smaller and as which would eliminate the need for parentheses ( confusing for the beginner) and also conform to our newer calculators displayal of signs and operations.Quite a few of the word problems are confusing or imprecise so I tend to avoid these. A good example is on page 50 problem #28: "In a recent tire inspection for Ford Explorers, local dealers found that 12% of the treads were defective. For each Explorer that was defective, the dealer offered immediate replacement of all five tires (including the spare ).If the local dealers inspected the tires on 450 Explorers, how many new tires did they need?" The authors insist that the correct answer is 270, but I am not so sure....
I can go on about the cluttered appearance of this book, distracting photos, drawings,etc.
but it would be pointless.However, overall the editing is excellent with very few errors. [a glaring exception is problem #29 on page A-23 ].I would like to end this review with mention of the kind of writing I strenuously object to in a first course in algebra. On p. 526 is a discussion of complex numbers, which is irrelevant to the needs of the student:
"Thus the [square roof of minus 4 ] is not a real number...You may encounter a more sophisticated number system called complex numbers in a higher-level mathematics course. In the complex number system, negative numbers have square roots."
But in Chapter 10, when solving for roots of a quadratic, the authors reject imaginary solutions , so that this topic need never be mentioned in the main body of the text.

Rating:
Summary: You have to start somewhere...
Review: Tobey and Slater's 'Beginning Algebra' text is used by my college where I tutor mathematics in the first course in Algebra, often the first course in Algebra many of our students have ever taken. It is very much a beginning course, as the course itself carries no official 'credit' (it is a zero-level course, as a prerequisite to other science and mathematics courses, that many students place out of on the basis of assessment scores).

The first chapter is actually a Chapter Zero, covering review topics in the event students have not had mathematics for a while. These include topics such as fractions, decimals, percentages, estimation, and basic arithmetical functions. The chapter is a bit disorganised (however, every class seems to have a different intuitive feel for mathematics, so I have not discovered that one system of rearrangement that works for all classes).

The following chapters cover the major topics of Algebra systematically: Real Numbers and Variables; Equations and Inequalities; Applied Problems (this is the dreaded 'story problem' chapter, where most students who seek tutoring first seek it out); Exponents and Polynomial expressions; Factoring (another major area of problem for students); Rational Expressions/Equations; Graphing and Functions (the third primary area of problem for students); Solving Systems of Equations; Radicals and Roots (including some basic geometry via the Pythagorean theorem); and finally Quadratic Equations.

Each of the sections includes pretests, post-tests and reviews, and plenty of problems to be solved to reinforce the mathematical principles being presented. There are a few issues with the organisation that we address in the course (sometimes the introduction of square roots and radicals needs to be advanced to assist in the discussion of factoring, for example), but these are fairly minor and can be adjusted as the instructor and/or course planner desires.

Each of the chapters deals with things in a mathematical as well as an 'English' way - explaining in words the concepts and operations being carried out in the numbers. Each section of each chapter covers only a few key concepts, with enough problems for solving that reinforce the principles thoroughly. Each section also as word problems (story problems) to test the real-world applicability of the numerical/mathematical concepts being presented, so when students ask (as they always do and shall), 'When am I ever going to use this?' there are examples drawn from typical situations.

Tobey and Slater have also worked to make various connections with geometry, graphs and charts, tables, as well as internet resources to provide the most up-to-date and useful text. There are specific problems along the way that assume the use of calculators (as most of real-life mathematics now involves calculators).

The book's design is interesting from a graphic-design standpoint, but from the standpoint of clarity to the students, the pages are a bit 'busy'. While I appreciate the need to reduce the number of pages in an effort to keep the costs down (text-book prices are typically higher than popular-book prices, and this text is no exception), more white space on the pages would probably help the accessibility and make it a little less intimidating.

Most students who take the Beginning Algebra class using this text who then move on to the Intermediate Algebra class (which is the course level of mathematics required of most every degree programme at our college) find that, in many respects, they have already mastered the key concepts of Algebra, and find Intermediate to be new applications and more complex problems of similar principles they have already learned. In that respect, this text is a good one, and serves the students well.

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