Dennis C Runde

Survey of Mathematics with Applications- A 7th Edition

4 stars (EXCELLENT REFERENCE FOR BEGINNING & ADVANCED UNDERGRADUATES) - I have been teaching out of Angel & Porter for the last three years. It has quite a few good examples, though I agree with the first reviewer's comment that it does need more challenging problems. Among the topics I have covered are: inductive reasoning, set concepts, symbolic logic, truth tables, algebra, applied geometry, probability, statistics, and mathematics of finance. Though the examples are laid out fairly well for those who are mathematically inclined, the teacher who happens to have quite a few students with weak mathematical skills is often finding himself or herself in situations of having to create ways to become an effective expositor of mathematical theorems and applications. In other words, by trying to explain what the authors are providing in their examples, the instructor is frequently shouldering the added burden of making this book come to life not only from a mathematical perspective but also from a communicative standpoint. On a positive note, however, there are several excellent applications, and the range of topics is quite broad. Oftentimes there is a gap between the level of advanced high school mathematics and that of a four-year university that is so serious that even a student who performed A's in high school will struggle in the type of college math course he or she is placed in. Fortunately, Angel and Porter have been able to fill in quite a few of the missing pieces. 1 stars (Still incompetent after all these editions) - A few years ago I wrote a review here on Amazon, of an edition of this text from around 1994. Apparently, only one of eight of those who commented found my review helpful. This new review is an attempt to be more helpful and to address the newer 6th edition. Correctness is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for quality in mathematics text books. Usually the first condition in a given. The issues then largely become ones of whether or not...
Addison Wesley :: Mathematics & General :: Science&Mathematics :: Mathematics :: General :: Dennis C Runde :: Christine D Abbott :: Allen R Angel :: :: Survey of Mathematics with Applications- A (7th Edition)