The nature of mathematics - Hardcover

Smith, Karl J

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0534066968 ISBN 13: 9780534066963

Publisher: Brooks/Cole Pub. Co, 1987

Synopsis

This edition marks the 23rd anniversary of the publication of this book. Since the First Edition, this book has helped thousands of liberal arts students experience mathematics rather than just "do problems," and become involved with the concepts rather than just "get the right answers." Now in the Eighth Edition, this text goes even farther in helping students master mathematics. An emphasis on problem solving and estimation, new problems coupled with numerous in-text study aids, and a student-friendly writing style give readers the confidence and ability to function in our technological world.

About this title

About the Author:

Karl Smith is professor emeritus at Santa Rosa Junior College in Santa Rosa, California. He has written over 36 mathematics textbooks and believes that students can learn mathematics if it is presented to them through the use of concrete examples designed to develop original thinking, abstraction, and problem-solving skills. Over one million students have learned mathematics from Karl Smith's textbooks.

Review:

"The Nature of Mathematics," by Karl J. Smith, is a terrific book. The author covers a multitude of mathematical topics ranging from arithmetic through computers. His style is most entertaining: inviting, thorough without being cumbersome, clear, and crisp. The text is illustrated in a multi-colored fashion; it is peppered with biographical information; it presents paradoxes and meets the student where 'he/she is at.' It is clear the author is a splendid mathematician and an educator of the first rank."

"The author succeeds in providing a wide range of topics that give an instructor the flexibility to design an appropriate course based on individual needs. . . . The text is written in language that is appropriate for college students, yet is not too technical for students with limited backgrounds."

"My overall feeling is the ideas presented in the preface, especially the focus on problem solving, pervade the entire book. The author succeeds in trying to reduce anxiety about the course by presenting topics and ideas that are fresh and relevant without begin out of reach of the student."

About this edition

• Publisher: Brooks/Cole Pub. Co
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0534066968
• ISBN 13: 9780534066963
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 5
• Number of pages: 674