Introductory Mathematics is a traditional, one-semester, basic mathematics textbook. The chapter on fractions has been divided into two separate chapters for a more gradual progression, and applications are spread throughout the book.

Getting Ready for the Next Section
These problems appear at the end of every problem set. They are the exact problems that students will see when they read through the next section of the text. Students who consistently work these problems will be much better prepared for class than students who don't.

Getting Ready for Class
Under the heading Getting Ready for Class, a list of four questions appears just before each problem set. These problems require written responses from students and are to be completed before students come to class. The answers can be found by reading the preceding section. These questions reinforce the importance of reading the section before coming to class.

Descriptive Statistics
Beginning in Chapter 1 and continuing through the rest of the book, students are introduced to descriptive statistics. Chapter 1 covers tables and bar charts, as well as mean, median, and mode. These topics are revisited in later chapters using real data drawn from each chapter's applications, and the list of descriptive statistics grows to include scatter diagrams and line graphs.

Using Technology
Scattered throughout the book are exercises that demonstrate how graphing calculators, spreadsheets, and computer graphing programs can be used to enhance the topics being covered.

Facts from Geometry
This feature gives students a chance to see how topics from geometry are related to the math they are using.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR