Elementary and intermediate algebra

At most colleges, beginning and intermediate algebra are taught as two separate courses, each with its own textbook. Students often have to buy both books, and the two often cover much of the same material. Publishers responded with combined editions that pair chapters from two books in one volume. That solved the cost of buying two texts but did little to remove the repetition.

The authors of this book set out to do more than bind two texts together. Their aim was to weave the topics and ideas of beginning and intermediate algebra into one continuous course that does not circle back over the same ground. The book is also meant to prepare learners with different mathematical backgrounds for college algebra. Students arriving from an arithmetic or pre-algebra course, in particular, get all the groundwork they need for that next step. It can be taught over two quarters or two semesters.

A new Review Chapter, placed between Chapters 6 and 7, works as a midpoint refresher and as a study aid for a final exam covering the first seven chapters. It also serves students who place into the second term of a two-term sequence, letting them confirm they have the background needed to begin at Chapter 7. Any section they struggle with in that review is cross-referenced to the lesson where they can study it further.