Mathematical Ideas

By John Hornsby, Christopher Heeren, Charles David Miller, et al.

Book Overview

For courses in Liberal Arts Mathematics.

Engages non-STEM students with a practical presentation that connects mathematics to their current and future lives

Mathematical Ideas is a versatile text that has evolved to meet changing curricular needs and trends, but remains steadfast to its primary objectives - comprehensive coverage, appropriate organization, clear exposition, abundant examples, and well-planned exercise sets with numerous applications.

With a fresh focus on math in the workplace, this program shows students in liberal arts and survey courses how math will play an important role in their futures, while helping them to develop a solid understanding of mathematical concepts. The 14th Edition updates and enhances the text's hallmark features, and expands its robust MyLabTM Math course to include StatCrunch(R) applets, animations, corequisite course material, new section lecture videos, and much more.

Also available with MyLab Math

MyLab Math is the teaching and learning platform that empowers you to reach every student. By combining trusted author content with digital tools and a flexible platform, MyLab Math personalizes the learning experience and improves results for each student. Learn more about MyLab Math.

Note: You are purchasing a standalone product; MyLab Math does not come packaged with this content. Students, if interested in purchasing this title with MyLab Math, ask your instructor to confirm the correct package ISBN and Course ID. Instructors, contact your Pearson representative for more information.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0134995589
• ISBN13: 9780134995588
• Release Date: January 2019
• Publisher: Pearson
• Length: 1032 Pages
• Weight: 4.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 8.4" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

A well-rounded Mathematical foundation

I am afraid this is one of the few books I marked in (at least in pencil). You will want to collect different editions to be sure nothing important has been deleted or replaced. I have had courses before and after this book, but I keep it because it crosses disciplines, or at least shows practical uses and obscure theoretical uses for math. It is the sidebar information that keeps you intrigued in the book. A sample sidebar is: Breaking codes - finding prime factors of extremely large numbers has been considered a mere computer exercise- interesting for improved methods of working with computers, but of no value in its own right. This has changed in recent years with the new methods of “computer coding,” in which very large numbers are used in an attempt to provide unbreakable codes for computer data. Just as fast as these numbers are used, other people try to find prime factors in them so that the code can be broken. Then we get how-to examples.

Suprisingly Great!

I thought that this was a fabulous book for an overview of mathematics concepts. The explanations were clear and the problems throughout each chapter and the chapter reviews were excellent practice questions for the Teachers Examination for my state (GA). Fantastic book!!

Excellent Foundational Text

I have the fifth edition of the text, which is now in its eight edition. This is an excellent book, and it is very entertaining to read--a description that does not fit many mathematics textbooks. Although geared for students without much math background, it is an enjoyable read for all, with its engaging sidebars, its sense of the history, and believe it or not, a sense of humor (for instance, a problem requiring you to create a Venn diagram for the topics of country songs--truckers, prison and love). A a philosopher, it is refreshing that the first 100 pages are devoted to set theory and logic--something that is not focused on often enough in basic courses. Most topics are likewise presented with a philosophical angle--for example, the first page points out the problems with defining "set." Utlimately, all definitions of set are circular--does this make "set" undisputably axiomatic? These kinds of problems are at least implied throughout the text. The effect is as deligtful as it is rare. You are not given the sense that the subject matter is complete, instead you are inspired to solve the dilemmas. While the incompleteness and conundrums are common knowledge to mathematics graduate students, they are not frequently imparted to students taking basic courses. That is a shame. When I was in high school, I felt turned off from math--as did many of my friends, because it was presented as a dry, static subject. Memorizing formulas and theorems was like memorizing the Gettysburg Address. Mathematical Ideas does the opposite--it shows an open door for creative problem solving and makes you hungry to explore.