Mark Zegarelli - Basic Math and Pre-Algebra Workbook for Dummies

Basic Math & Pre-Algebra Workbook For Dummies, 3rd Edition with Online Practice

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017932049

ISBN 978-1-119-35751-3 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-35752-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-35753-7 (ebk)

1. Table of Contents

When you approach math correctly, its almost always easier than you think. And a lot of the stuff that hangs you up when you first see it probably isnt all that scary after all. Lots of students feel they got lost somewhere along the way on the road between learning to count to ten and their first day in an algebra class and this may be true whether youre 14 or 104. If this is you, dont worry. Youre not alone, and help is right here!

Basic Math & Pre-Algebra Workbook For Dummies with Online Practice can give you the confidence and math skills you need to succeed in any math course you encounter on the way to algebra. One of the easiest ways to build confidence is to get experience working problems, allowing you to build those skills quickly. Everything in this book is designed to help clear the path on your math journey. Every section of every chapter contains a clear explanation of what you need to know, with plenty of practice problems and step-by-step solutions to every problem. Just grab a pencil, open this book to any page, and begin strengthening your math muscles!

This book is for anyone who wants to improve his or her math skills. You may already be enrolled in a math class or preparing to register for one or simply studying on your own. In any case, practice makes perfect, and in this book you get plenty of practice solving a wide variety of math problems.

Each chapter covers a different topic in math: negative numbers, fractions, decimals, geometry, graphing, basic algebra its all here. In every section within a chapter, you find problems that allow you to practice a different skill. Each section features the following:

• A brief introduction to that sections topic
• An explanation of how to solve the problems in that section
• Sample questions with answers that show you all the steps to solving the problem
• Practice problems with space to work out your answer

Go ahead and write in this book thats what its for! When youve completed a problem or group of problems, flip to the end of the chapter. Youll find the correct answer followed by a detailed, step-by-step explanation of how to get there.

Although you can certainly work all the exercises in this book from beginning to end, you dont have to. Feel free to jump directly to whatever chapter has the type of problems you want to practice. When youve worked through enough problems in a section to your satisfaction, feel free to jump to a different section. If you find the problems in a section too difficult, flip back to an earlier section or chapter to practice the skills you need just follow the cross-references.

You probably realize that the best way to figure out math is by doing it. You only want enough explanation to get down to business so you can put your math skills to work right away. If so, youve come to the right place. If youre looking for a more in-depth discussion, including tips on how all these math concepts fit into word problems, you may want to pick up the companion book, Basic Math & Pre-Algebra For Dummies.

Im willing to bet my last dollar on earth that youre ready for this book. I assume only that you have some familiarity with the basics of the number system and the Big Four operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing). To make sure that youre ready, take a look at these four arithmetic problems and see whether you can answer them:

• 3 + 4 =
• 10 - 8 =
• 5 5 =
• 20 2 =

If you can do these problems, youre good to go!

Throughout this book, I highlight some of the most important information with a variety of icons. Heres what they all mean:

This icon points out some of the most important pieces of information. Pay special attention to these details you need to know them!

Tips show you a quick and easy way to do a problem. Try these tricks as youre solving the problems in that section.