Geometry Essentials For Dummies
by Mark Ryan
Geometry Essentials For Dummies
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Copyright 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2011905203
ISBN: 978-1-118-06875-5
Manufactured in the United States of America
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About the Author
A graduate of Brown University and the University of Wisconsin Law School, Mark Ryan has been teaching math since 1989. He runs The Math Center (www.themathcenter.com) in Winnetka, Illinois, where he teaches high school math courses, including an introduction to geometry and a workshop for parents based on a program he developed, The 10 Habits of Highly Successful Math Students . In high school, he twice scored a perfect 800 on the math portion of the SAT, and he not only knows mathematics but also has a gift for explaining it in plain English. He practiced law for four years before deciding he should do something he enjoys and use his natural talent for mathematics. Ryan is a member of the Authors Guild and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Geometry Essentials For Dummies is Ryans sixth book. Everyday Math for Everyday Life (Grand Central Publishing) was published in 2002; Calculus For Dummies (Wiley), in 2003; Calculus Workbook For Dummies (Wiley), in 2005; Geometry Workbook For Dummies (Wiley), in 2006; and Geometry For Dummies, 2nd Edition (Wiley) in 2008. His math books have sold over a quarter of a million copies.
Also a tournament backgammon player and a skier and tennis player, Ryan lives in Chicago.
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Introduction
G eometry is a subject full of mathematical richness and beauty. The ancient Greeks were into it big time, and its been a mainstay in secondary education for centuries. Today, no education is complete without at least some familiarity with the fundamental principles of geometry.
But geometry is also a subject that bewilders many students because its so unlike the math that theyve done before. Geometry requires you to use deductive logic in formal proofs. This process involves a special type of verbal and mathematical reasoning thats new to many students. The subject also involves working with two- and three-dimensional shapes. The spatial reasoning required for this is another thing that makes geometry different and challenging.
Geometry Essentials For Dummies can be a big help to you if youve hit the geometry wall. Or if youre a first-time student of geometry, it can prevent you from hitting the wall in the first place. When the world of geometry opens up to you and things start to click, you may come to really appreciate this topic, which has fascinated people for millennia.
About This Book
Geometry Essentials For Dummies covers all the principles and formulas you need to analyze two- and three-dimensional shapes, and it gives you the skills and strategies you need to write geometry proofs.