Algebra the Easy Way

Rating:
Summary: A Great Review
Review: I am a homeschool mom, and trying to teach my 15 year old algebra that I don't remember was a real challenge until we started using this book! The practice exercises really make him think and I love that the answers are included. This book should be titled "Algebra the Fun Way!" My thanks to the authors.

Rating:
Summary: Skips Material
Review: I bought this book because the story format intrigued me. However, as I went along the narrative wore thin. The exercises are good and there are some very clever ways in which concepts are introduced. This book can be a great tool if only some of the narrative can be shortened. If you need a book that gets to the point quickly and succinctly go with "Practical Algebra: A self-teaching guide" by Selby et al.

Rating:
Summary: Earlier Publication Better - I will not use 2003
Review: I have tutored using earlier publications but do not like this changed version. I am seeking older publications. I do not like the changes made. Ruined the great idea.

Rating:
Summary: Great for teaching young kids! and the young at heart
Review: If you have (or are) that extra smart young kid, who always seems to be a grade (year) or two ahead of his/her class in maths, this book is certainly going to be perfect for him/her (as it was for me). This was the book that got me interested in Algebra. Downing takes the reader on an adventure, explaining the basics of algebra through a story, and progressing almost to the very apex of general algebra. (He doesn't cover every single aspect of general algebra - I recall one example: Synthetic Division, there are others.) But for a child, who's ahead of the rest, you don't need to have everything just yet.

This book certainly won't appeal to adults or older teens (who will easily get bored and turned off by the underlying story), but it was a great introduction for me when I was just turning the decade mark. It really helps you to understand Algebra as more than a bunch of things to memorise; it makes you see applications in every aspect of life. Once you (or your child) have finished this book, you'll be thirsting for more, and that's when you move on to a more traditional textbook to fill in the "blanks". After that, algebra will be running through your veins. With this solid foundation, trigonometry and calculus will be much easier.

(The author also wrote similar books on Trigonometry and Calculus. The Calculus book was quite poor because the story began to intrude on explaining the concepts properly. [By the time you are ready to take calculus on, you should use a traditional textbook - like Anton or Thomas.] The trigonometry book was quite good, but I feel none can match the brilliance of this book.)

Rating:
Summary: Ideal introduction to algebra for smart kids
Review: The device of attaching math problems to a story line, and showing the efforts of the characters to solve them, is the key to this book's unique appeal for younger kids who want to get into algebra (and can handle the abstract thinking required). It captures their interest and can be read relatively fast, though the algebra is not watered-down so the book naturally does require intelligence and careful attention. The story line presentation guarantees that the focus is on insight, a characteristic that sharply distinguishes this "Easy Way" series of books from typical high-school or college texts.

Rating:
Summary: Great book! Very, very, very good.
Review: Well, I'm an eighth grader now (seventh grader when I bought this book). I'll have to say, this book is fantastic. I started studying Algebra in 7th grade, I was very good in Algebra but I was getting 95s and below on my tests and I wasn't getting the highest grade in my grade so I wanted something that would put me ahead of everyone. So I bought this book and it made a difference... I get all 100s now and I get the highest score in the grade. This has continued on to this year (8th grade), it is a lot easier to understand some of the harder concepts of algebra since I already read this book. Algebra is extremely important because it provides the base for a lot of other mathematics and sciences including Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus and Physics.

This is an interesting book because it teaches Algebra not like the usual textbook does. This book is like an Algebra textbook and fictional story combined. The book uses a story line and fictional characters to help show Algebra and its concepts. This makes the study of Algebra much easier and fun. I really suggest this book, right now, I'm about to buy Geometry the Easy Way.