Algebra for College Students: With Mathzone

Algebra for College Students, 5e is part of the latest offerings in the successful Dugopolski series in mathematics. The author’s goal is to explain mathematical concepts to students in a language they can understand. In this book, students and faculty will find short, precise explanations of terms and concepts written in understandable language. The author uses concrete analogies to relate math to everyday experiences. For example, when the author introduces the Commutative Property of Addition, he uses a concrete analogy that “the price of a hamburger plus a Coke is the same as a Coke plus a hamburger”. Given the importance of examples within a math book, the author has paid close attention to the most important details for solving the given topic. Dugopolski includes a double cross-referencing system between the examples and exercise sets, so no matter which one the students start with, they will see the connection to the other. Finally, the author finds it important to not only provide quality, but also a good quantity of exercises and applications. The Dugopolski series is known for providing students and faculty with the most quantity and quality of exercises as compared to any other developmental math series on the market. In completing this revision, Dugopolski feels he has developed the clearest and most concise developmental math series on the market, and he has done so without comprising the essential information every student needs to become successful in future mathematics courses. The book is accompanied by numerous useful supplements, including McGraw-Hill’s online homework management system, MathZone.

An increased emphasis on real-data applications that involve graphs is a focus for the third edition. Some exercises have been updated throughout the text to help demonstrate concepts, motivate students, and to give students practice using new skills. Many of the real data exercises contain data obtained from the Internet. Internet addresses are provided as a resource for both students and teachers. Because internet addresses frequently change, a list of addresses will also be available on the website so that they may be more effectively maintained. An Index of Applications listing applications by subject matter is included at the front of the text.
The third edition contains three new margin features that appear throughout the text: Calculator Close-Ups give students an idea of how and when to use a graphing calculator. Some Calculator Close-Ups simply introduce the features of a graphing calculator, but many are intended to enhance understanding of algebraic concepts. For this reason, many of the Calculator Close-Ups will benefit even those students who do not use a graphing calculator. Study Tips are included in the margins throughout the text. These short tips are meant to continually reinforce good study habits and keep reminding students that it is never too late to make improvements in the manner in which they study.
Helpful Hints are short comments that enhance the material in the text, provide another way of approaching a problem, or clear up misconceptions.
Every section in the third edition generally begins with six simple writing exercises; these exercises appear in the exercise sets. These exercises are designed to get students to review the definitions and rules of the section before doing more traditional exercises. For example, the student might be simply asked what properties of equality were discussed in this section.
Each chapter begins with a Chapter Opener that discusses a real application of algebra. The discussion is accompanied by a photograph and, in most cases by a real-data application graph that helps students visualize algebra and more fully understand the concepts discussed in the chapter. In addition, each chapter contains a Math at Work feature, which profiles a real person and the mathematics that he or she uses on the job. These two features have corresponding real data exercises.
Every section begins with In This Section, a list of topics that shows the student what will be covered. Because the topics correspond to the headings within each section, students will find it easy to locate and study specific concepts.
Important ideas, such as definitions, rules, summaries, and strategies, are set apart in boxes for quick reference. Color is used to highlight these boxes as well as other important points in the text.
At the end of every section are Warm-up exercises, a set of ten simple statements that are to be answered true or false. These exercises are designed to provide a smooth transition between the ideas and the exercise sets. They help students understand that every statement in mathematics is either true or false. They are also good for discussion or group work.
The end-of-section Exercises follow the same order as the textual material and contain exercises that are keyed to examples, as well as numerous exercises that are not keyed to examples. This organization allows the instructor to cover only part of a section if necessary and easily determine which exercises are appropriate to assign. The keyed exercises give the student a place to start practicing and building confidence, whereas the non-keyed exercises are designed to wean the student from following examples in a step-by-step manner. Getting More Involved exercises are designed to encourage writing, discussion, exploration, and cooperative learning. Graphing Calculator Exercises require a graphing calculator and are identified with a graphing calculator logo. Exercises for which a scientific calculator would be helpful are identified with a scientific calculator logo.
Every chapter ends with a four-part Wrap-up, which includes the following: The Chapter Summary lists important concepts along with brief illustrative examples. Enriching Your Mathematical Word Power NEW! appears at the end of each chapter and consists of multiple choice questions in which the important terms are to be matched with their meanings. This feature emphasizes the importance of proper terminology.
The Review Exercises contain problems that are keyed to the sections of the chapter as well as numerous miscellaneous exercises.

The Chapter Test is designed to help the student assess his or her readiness for a test. The Chapter Test has no keyed exercises, thus enabling the student to work independently of the sections and examples.
At the end of each chapter is a Collaborative Activities feature which is designed to encourage interaction and learning in groups. Instructions and suggestions for using these activities and answers to all problems can be found in the Instructor's Solutions Manual.
The Making Connections exercises at the end of each chapter are designed to help your students review and synthesize the new material with ideas from previous chapters, and in some cases, review material necessary for success in the upcoming chapter. Every Making Connections exercise set includes at least one applied exercise that requires ideas from one or more of the previous chapters.
NetTutor is a revolutionary new web-based learning environment for the live dissemination of mathematical content. NetTutor offers your students live, personalized tutoring via the internet. Using NetTutor's powerful WWWhiteboard software, students can post a question and receive prompt feedback from an expert in their subject. The WWWhiteboard allows students and tutors to use proper mathematical notation as well as other highlighting features - truly making this a unique learning experience. Students may also post questions to the Q&A Center and receive a reply within 24 hours. Visiting the Message Center allows students to discuss difficult concepts among themselves, while the Archive Center provides a browseable list of questions and answers maintained by the subject tutor. NetTutor is FREE and an invaluable aid for all students; the study partner who always has the answer.