Topics in Contemporary Mathematics

Motivational chapter and section opening vignettes contain applications drawn from a broad range of fields and introduce students to the techniques and ideas covered. Applications are further integrated throughout the text, examples and in the exercise sets to help students develop the skills to apply problem-solving techniques in the real-world.

The text incorporates suggestions of AMATYC's Standards for Introductory College Mathematics. For instance, the authors de-emphasize the more abstract and theoretical aspects of the subject matter, placing emphasis on promoting the understanding and use of concepts introduced.

A unique problem-solving approach emphasized throughout the text helps students learn the mathematical skills that will benefit them in their lives and careers. Using the RSTUV method (Read, Select, Think, Use, and Verify), this approach guides students through problems and includes references to similar problems in the exercise set.

A strong technology focus motivates students and shows them different ways in which mathematics can be applied. Web references and Web It exercises in the text offer students ways to utilize the Internet as an educational and creative tool to study mathematical concepts. Graph It, a feature found in the book margins, provides step-by-step directions for solving specific examples using the TI-83 graphing calculator.

A Getting Started outline of objectives that corresponds to the objective heads in the exposition and in the end-of-section exercise sets has been added to the beginning of each section to provide students with a map to navigate each chapter.

In response to feedback from reviewers, Chapter 5 on Number Theory and the Real Numbers has been extensively revised and condensed creating a more comprehensive chapter.

Throughout the text, applications have been replaced and revised for currency and student interest. Exercises now include diverse topics such as the garbage pizza, gadgets owned by Americans, hacked passwords, the correlation of healthcare to life expectancy, the total cost of college, and many more.

The following topics are now more easily accessible in the printed book rather than being available online only: the section on linear programming, right triangle trigonometry, chaos and fractals, as well as the chapters on voting and apportionment, and graph theory.

Exclusively from Cengage Learning®, Enhanced WebAssign combines the exceptional mathematics content that you know and love with the most powerful online homework solution, WebAssign. Enhanced WebAssign engages students with immediate feedback, rich tutorial content, and interactive e-books that help students to develop a deeper conceptual understanding of their subject matter. Online assignments can be built by selecting from thousands of text-specific problems or supplemented with problems from any Cengage Learning textbook.

An Instructor's Edition is available for the tenth edition providing instructors with an appendix in the book that contains answers to all exercises and an appendix that outlines the exercises that are available through Enhanced WebAssign.