Mary Jane Sterling - Finite Math for Dummies

Finite Math For Dummies

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

Copyright 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2018934637

ISBN 978-1-119-47636-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-47643-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-47644-3 (ebk)

Finite math is both difficult and easy to describe. When Im asked what finite math is, I launch into a listing of the different topics that are usually covered and then refer to all the applications that are possible to perform using the techniques. It isnt a quick and easy explanation.

Finite math isnt one thing, and it isnt restricted to one area of interest or discovery. You may be a finance buff or a gambler (or both). You may want to organize your life more or organize others (or both). You may like to play games or instruct others on game-like situations (or both). Are you getting my drift? Finite math is many things to many types of people with many interests. You may find yourself loving all the topics covered here or just some of them. This is entirely your preference.

You were brave enough to pick up this book so you could discover its secrets. Or youre going to read the book because you want some insight into or help with some math topics that have come your way. In either case, youre in luck.

I wrote the chapters of this book with specific goals in mind. You, the reader, may be planning on a career in business or finance. Or, if you dont want finance as a career, perhaps you just want to be able to manage your own financial situation and not depend on others. Youll find many examples leaning toward these topics. The mathematics presented will help your understanding and aid you in various computations that are necessary to get the right answers.

Some of the material may not be of interest to you right now, but dont discard it yet. As you read on and discover more, you can backtrack and find the basis of premises or computation techniques. Some of the material is sequential, for instance, recognizing linear equations before you start solving systems of such equations, but most of what you find can stand alone. The topics you find here complement one another.

When I introduce a word and think it needs some explanation, I place the word in italics. Mathematics has a way of kidnapping normal, everyday words and giving them a special meaning. For example, take the word set. Are you playing tennis? Do you have dishes to put on the table? Neither works here, but set has its own meaning, as you see in .

So much mathematics nowadays is performed on calculators and in spreadsheets. And many of the calculations that you find in this book can and will be done using such technology. In these chapters, you find the basics behind the math thats performed, and then youre free to use whatever technology you have at your disposal. One chapter in the Part of Tens is devoted to some processes that you can perform using a graphing calculator.

Youve picked up this book on finite math, and you open it to the chapter or page of your choice. Im assuming that youre interested in that particular topic or, perhaps, are just jumping into anything that pops up. This is fine. It will work.

What I do have to assume is that you have some basic understanding of algebra and its processes. Many of the topics presented assume that you understand that letters can represent numerical values and that the numerical values can be used to answer questions.

Many of the topics covered use matrices and matrix-like formats. Even if youve never seen matrices at work before this experience, you should be able to dive in and appreciate their value and versatility.

As you read this book, youll see icons in the margins that indicate material in support of what is being discussed. You arent expected to know all about these special items or formulas, but theyre presented for your reference. This section briefly describes the icons found in this book.