Pre-Calculus All-in-One For Dummies

Mary Jane Sterling was a professor of mathematics at Bradley University. She taught for more than 35 years and continues to teach via distance learning. Sterling is the author of many Dummies math titles, including Pre-Calculus For Dummies. She is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a master’s degree in mathematics education.

• Introduction 1Unit 1: Getting Started with Pre-Calculus 5Chapter 1: Preparing for Pre-Calculus 7Chapter 2: Operating with Real Numbers 25Chapter 3: Cementing the Building Blocks of Pre-Calculus Functions 43Chapter 4: Operating on Functions 65Unit 2: Getting the Grip on Graphing 93Chapter 5: Graphing Polynomial Functions 95Chapter 6: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions 131Chapter 7: Piece-Wise and Greatest-Integer Functions 159Unit 3: The Essentials of Trigonometry 171Chapter 8: Circling In on Angles 173Chapter 9: Homing In on the Friendliest Angles 201Chapter 10: Picturing Basic Trig Functions and Reciprocal Functions 217Chapter 11: Graphing and Transforming Trig Functions 237Unit 4: Identities and Special Triangles 267Chapter 12: Identifying with Trig Identities: The Basics 269Chapter 13: Advancing with Advanced Identities 297Chapter 14: Getting the Slant on Oblique Triangles 327Unit 5: Analytic Geometry 361Chapter 15: Coordinating with Complex Numbers 363Chapter 16: Warming Up to Polar Coordinates 379Chapter 17: Relating Conics to Sliced Cones 399Unit 6: Systems, Sequences, and Series 443Chapter 18: Streamlining Systems of Equations 445Chapter 19: Making Matrices Work 473Chapter 20: Sequences and Series 499Chapter 21: Expanding Binomials for the Real World 519Unit 7: Onward to Calculus 533Chapter 22: Lining Up the Tools 535Chapter 23: Proceeding with Successful Procedures 557Index 573