Precalculus: Functions and Graphs

Rating:
Summary: The canonical precalculus text
Review: There may be other precalc texts as good as this, but there can't be any better ones. The discussion of algebra, functions,trigonometry, series, and analytic geometry is exemplary. One might quibble with the choice of problems as they are all of the routine (i.e. drill) variety. I don't understand the gripes of the other reviewers. The discussion of topics is lucid, and there are numerous solved problems that don't differ from the exercises.

I recommend this text.

Rating:
Summary: Precalculus: Functions and Graphs
Review: This book is horrible!! The explanations are needlessly wordy and don't do much to improve my understanding of math. Also, the homework is poorly designed: instead of building each new problem on older ones, everything is a scattered mess. Professors, please don't use this book just because you know Swokowski has been writing textbooks forever and he's the standard you're used to. I'm a GOOD student and I can safely say that this book is worthless.

Rating:
Summary: Rigorous and well done
Review: This book provides excellent coverage of every topic that should be covered in the precalculus curriculum. Despite some negative reviews by precalc. students (see number 4 above), if you are not ready to handle the material in this book, you are not going to be ready to pass calculus. There are other so-called precalculus books out there that are watered down, that don't cover as many topics, and that have much easier homework -- as a calculus instructor, I can promise you that these books will not teach you what you need to know to pass calculus. A student who complains that the book "makes you think for yourself" doesn't realize that that is exactly what the book is supposed to do. The real difficulty these students are experiencing is that there is too much material to be covered in precalculus to finish in a single semester. If your school is making you finish this 800-some page book in a single semester, the difficulties you are experiencing are due to the speed with which the material is covered, not the book.