College Algebra

I was born and raised in Cleveland, and started college at Bowling Green State University in 1984 majoring in creative writing. Eleven years later, I walked across the graduation stage to receive a PhD in math, a strange journey indeed. After two years at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania, I came home to Ohio, accepting a tenure-track job at the Hamilton campus of Miami University. I’ve won a number of teaching awards in my career, and while maintaining an active teaching schedule, I now spend an inordinate amount of time writing textbooks and course materials. I’ve written or co-authored either seven or twelve textbooks, depending on how you count them, as well as several solutions manuals and interactive CD-ROMS. After many years as developmental math coordinator at Miami Hamilton, I share the frustration that goes along with low pass rates in the developmental math curriculum. Far too many students end up on the classic Jetson’s-style treadmill, with the abstract nature of the traditional algebra curriculum keeping them from reaching their goals. Like so many instructors across the country, I believe the time is right to move beyond the one-size-fits-all curriculum that treats students the same whether they hope to be an engineer or a pastry chef. “Because we’ve always done it that way” is NOT a good reason to maintain the status quo in our curriculum. Let’s work together to devise alternate pathways that help students to learn more and learn better while hastening their trip into credit-bearing math courses. Since my book (Math in Our World) is written for the Liberal Arts Math and Quantitative Literacy market, I think I’m in the right place at the right time to make a difference in the new and exciting pathways course. I’m in a very happy place right now: my love of teaching meshes perfectly with my childhood dream of writing. (Don’t tell my publisher this – they think I spend 20 hours a day working on textbooks – but I’m working on my first novel in the limited spare time that I have.) I’m also a former coordinator of Ohio Project NExT, as I believe very strongly in helping young college instructors focus on high-quality teaching as a primary career goal. I live in Fairfield, Ohio with my lovely wife Cat and fuzzy dogs Macleod and Tessa. When not teaching or writing, my passions include Ohio State football, Cleveland Indians baseball, heavy metal music, travel, golf, and home improvement.

• College Algebra, 9e CHAPTER R: BASIC ALGEBRAIC OPERATIONS R-1Algebra and Real Numbers R-2Exponents R-3Radicals R-4Polynomials: Basic Operations Chapter R Review CHAPTER 1: EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES 1-1Linear Equations and Applications 1-2Linear Inequalities 1-3Absolute Value 1-4Complex Numbers 1-5Quadratic Equations and Applications 1-6Equations Involving Radicals Chapter 1 Group Activity: Solving a Cubic Equation Chapter 1 Review CHAPTER 2: GRAPHS 2-1Cartesian Coordinate System 2-2Distance in the Plane 2-3Equations of a Line 2-4Linear Equations and Models Chapter 2 Group Activity: Rates of Change Chapter 2 Review CHAPTER 3: FUNCTIONS 3-1Functions 3-2Graphing Functions 3-3Transformations of Functions 3-4Quadratic Functions 3-5Combining Functions; Composition 3-6Inverse Functions Chapter 3 Group Activity: Mathematical Modeling - Choosing a Long-Distance Calling Plan Chapter 3 Review 1, 2, & 3 Cumulative Review Exercises CHAPTER 4: POLYNOMIAL AND RATIONAL FUNCTIONS 4-1Polynomial Functions And Models 4-2Real Zeros and Polynomial Inequalities 4-3Complex Zeros and Rational Zeros of Polynomials 4-4Rational Functions and Inequalities 4-5Variation and Modeling Chapter 4 Group Activity: Interpolating Polynomials Chapter 4 Review CHAPTER 5: EXPONENTIAL AND LOGARITHMIC FUNCTIONS 5-1Exponential Functions 5-2Exponential Models 5-3Logarithmic Functions 5-4Logarithmic Models 5-5Exponential and Logarithmic Equations Chapter 5 Group Activity: Growth of Increasing Functions Chapter 5 Review 4 & 5 Cumulative Review Exercises CHAPTER 6: ADDITIONAL TOPICS IN ANALYTIC GEOMETRY 6-1Conic Sections; Parabola 6-2Ellipse 6-3Hyperbola Chapter 6 Group Activity: Focal Chords Chapter 6 Review CHAPTER 7: SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES; MATRICES 7-1Systems of Linear Equations 7-2Solving Linear Systems Using Gauss-Jordan Elimination 7-3Matrix Operations 7-4Solving Linear Systems Using Inverse Matrices 7-4Determinants and Cramer's Rule 7-5Chapter 7 Group Activity: Modeling with Systems of Linear Equations 7-6Systems of Nonlinear Equations 7-7Systems of Linear Inequalities 7-8Linear Programming Chapter 7 Review CHAPTER 8: SEQUENCES AND SERIES 8-1Sequences and Series 8-2Mathematical Induction 8-3Arithmetic and Geometric Sequences 8-4Counting Techniques: Multiplication Principle, Permutations, and Combinations 8-5Sample Spaces and Probability 8-6Binomial Formula Chapter 8 Group Activity: Sequences Specified by Recursion Formulas Chapter 8 Review 6, 7, & 8 Cumulative Review Exercises APPENDIX A: SPECIAL TOPICS A-1Scientific Notation and Significant Digits A-2Partial Fractions A-3Parametric Equations APPENDIX B B-1Geometric Formulas