The Real Realm of Algebra

By Isaac Asimov

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0449243982
• ISBN13: 9780449243985
• Release Date: January 1982
• Publisher: Fawcett Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Best of Its Kind

Realm of Algebra by Isaac Asimov is a short introduction to the basics of algebra. It's only about 150 pages, outlining concepts, running through examples and pulling together things you've already learned in arithmetic. The beginning of the book demystifies algebra, then Asimov goes on to show you how to work out all the a's, b's, x's and y's. This is not a textbook and it's not a workbook; it is a basic introduction to the subject. Asimov is a great writer and he actually uses English sentences to explain the formulas. If you are taking algebra for the first time or brushing up some rusty math skills, this is a great book to have. You'll definitely come away having learned a thing or two. If you are a publisher, please resurrect this book. It deserves to be in print. (There are used copies out there for (dollar amount), but an alternative book is Algebra Unplugged by Ken Amdahl. That one is more basic, but still very good.)

Incredibly clear and lucid

Concur with all previous reviewers; why wasn't this required reading when I learned (or was supposed to have learned!) algebra in school! Outstanding little book possessing far more wisdom and information than its small (paperback) size would seem to indicate. A real collectors piece!

Wonderful book!

I'm not a math whiz by any stretch of the imagination, and had a fear of math when I was 12. But I picked up this book by Asimov, and learned algebra on my own that summer! It was so easy to understand, and the concepts were so clearly delineated. I'm looking for this book for my 12 year old son, and am sad that it's out of print. I know he'd love it and learn as quickly as I did. I wish they'd reprint this book, ASAP. I can't even find it in our local library. The card catalog says it's lost--yeah, right. I'm sure someone decided to keep the book because it's so good, dang it.

Dang Good!

I remember reading this long ago when I was around 4th grade, in my school's library. I can't remember if I understood much of it, but it was obvious that this book was extremely good. Should've been our textbook, of course, but we all know teachers can't read. Too busy teaching us useful things like base 7. Sad, that it's currently out of print.

This book changed my life! (In Math class, anyway.)

I read about half of this book when I was 12 years old, and didn't learn anything new in math until I was 15. For the next few years, I watched fellow students struggle through math class without ever understanding what they were doing. For me, that was Asimov's brilliance--his ability to explain the how and why of math. While classmates struggled with rules and methods learned by rote, I understood what was happening in the equations. This should be required reading for students everywhere--although that might result in lay-offs of math teachers.