College Algebra is an ideal choice for students who need to fulfill the mathematics requirement for their degree, as well as those preparing to take applied calculus or statistics. The book emphasizes skill development and mathematical modeling while incorporating study and success strategies that students can use throughout their college careers. By the end of the course, students will have greater confidence in their mathematical skills and a clear understanding of how mathematics can be used to model a variety of real-world situations.

Tickets to Success
The following features are built into the text to give students the greatest possible chance of succeeding in the course.

Getting Ready for Class
To encourage students to read the textbook before class, four reading-based questions appear at the end of every section under the heading Getting Ready for Class. Even a brief attempt to answer these questions can enhance a student’s classroom experience. Many instructors use the completed questions as a student’s “ticket to class,” collecting the answers as students enter the classroom.

Paying Attention to Instructions
We anticipate common difficulties students encounter and build features into the text to address them. For example, students do not always read homework instructions carefully, which can lead to mistakes on assignments, quizzes, and tests. Problems labeled Paying Attention to Instructions require students to read and follow the directions carefully.

Getting Ready for the Next Section
These problems appear at the end of every problem set and prepare students for concepts they will encounter in the next section. Students who consistently complete these problems will be better prepared for class and ready to learn the new material.

Getting Ready for Calculus
Problems labeled Getting Ready for Calculus appear throughout the text and introduce algebraic skills that students may use in a one-semester applied calculus course. These are not calculus problems; they are the algebra problems that arise while solving calculus problems. The problems are adapted from Applied Calculus, written by Denny Burzynski and published by XYZ Textbooks.

Emphasis on Modeling
Modeling examples and problems are identified by a puzzle-piece icon and appear throughout the text. These activities help students understand how mathematics can be used to represent and solve real-world problems.

Staying Current with Technology
Graphing calculators, Wolfram|Alpha, and QR codes are integrated throughout the text to help students explore mathematical concepts, visualize results, and access additional resources.

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