Precalculus for Christian Schools

Rating:
Summary: Worse than you may imagine
Review: An interesting mixture of Newtonian mathematics and a strict modern interpretation of Judeo-Christian values. Actually, not interesting and the two subjects fit together like oil and water. I have read some clips from this one. I am afraid this is not quite a precalculus book you should buy, unless you really know it's the one you want! I wonder if it deals with the nice beginner subject of exponential decay and applications to carbon (gasp) dating.

Rating:
Summary: Fundamentalist Christian theology applied to mathematics
Review: This book is an example of eisegesis gone berserk.

To get mathematics in line with the precepts of fundamentalist Christianity, the authors have tried to fuse mathematics with fundamentalist theology -- and have succeeded in straining their credibility to the breaking point.

Cases in point:

"Carl Friedrich Gauss first proved the fundamental theorem of algebra. There are many fundamental theorems: of arithmetic, calculus, and so on. These are so fundamental that many other theorems are derived from them. In the Bible, there are also fundamentals, without which Christianity would not exist: the deity of Christ, His substitutionary atonement, and the inspiration of the Bible, to name a few."

"A line can be described either by its slope (a ratio) or by its inclination (an angle). These terms describe the deviation from the horizontal, but the word inclination also has a non-mathematical meaning. Without Christ, man is inclined to sin. The Word of God should shape our attitudes (inclinations)."

"If you are given the length of two sides and the angle measure opposite one of those sides, you can use the law of sines to solve the triangle. However, this does not always determine a unique triangle. As a result, it is called the ambiguous case. Ambiguous means open to multiple interpretations. Some people say that you can interpret the Bible in any way that you want. However, there is no ambiguity in the Bible."

"A person is eccentric if his behavior deviates from normal. Jesus Christ expects His disciples to be eccentric, since living a Christlike life is not normal in this world (Titus 2:14). Likewise, in mathematics, conic sections are eccentric if they deviate from a circle. Eccentricity is a measure of this deviation. The eccentricity of an ellipse (e) is the ratio of focal distance (c) to the length of the sentimajor axis (a): e = c/a. Since c and a are distances and c < a, the eccentricity of any ellipse is 0 < e < 1.

"The concept of limit can be used to illustrate an important truth. Suppose you lived eighty years and there was no life after death; your life on the earth would be 80/80 = 1 = 100% of your existence. Now, let's assume that your life after death was eighty years long: your earthly life would be 80/160 = 1/2 = 50% of your entire existence. If life after death were 720 years, your life here would be only 80/(80+720) = 0.1 = 10%. Now extend it to eternity: (the limit as x approaches infinity) 80/(80+x) = O. In other words, this life is very insignificant in light of eternity. It is no wonder James said that life is "vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

This book does a gross disservice to both mathematics and the Scriptures. I would not recommend its use in ANY school -- religious or secular.