Master Math: Basic Math and Pre-Algebra: Basic Math and Pre-Algebra

Introduction to Master Math: Basic Math and Pre-Algebra: Basic Math and Pre-Algebra is the first book in the Master Math series. The second, third, and fourth books are entitled Algebra, Pre-Calculus and Geometry, and Calculus.. The Master Math series presents the general principles of mathematics from grade school through college including arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus and introductory calculus. Basic Math and Pre-Algebra is a comprehensive arithmetic book that explains the subject matter in a way that makes sense to the reader. It begins with the most basic principles and progresses through more advanced topics to prepare a student for algebra. Basic Math and Pre-Algebra explains the principles and operations of arithmetic, provides step-by-step procedures and solutions, and presents examples and applications. Basic Math and Pre-Algebra is a reference book for grade school and middle school students that explains and clarifies the arithmetic principles they are learning in school. It is also a comprehensive reference source for more advanced students currently learning algebra, pre-calculus and calculus. Basic Math and Pre-Algebra is invaluable for students, parents, tutors and anyone needing a basic arithmetic reference source. The information provided in each book and in the series as a whole is progressive in difficulty and builds on itself, which allows the reader to gain perspective on the connected nature of mathematics. The skills required to understand every topic presented are explained in an earlier chapter or book within the series. Each of the books contains a complete table of contents, a comprehensive index, and the tables of contents of the other books in the series that specific subjects, principles and formulas can be easily found. The books are written in a simple style that facilitates understanding and easy referencing of sought-after principles, definitions and explanations. Basic Math and Pre-Algebra and the Master Math series are not replacements for textbooks but rather reference books providing explanations and perspective. The Master Math series would have been invaluable to me during my entire education from grade school through graduate school. There is no other source that provides the breadth and depth of the Master Math series in a single book or series. Finally, mathematics is a language-the universal language. A person struggling with mathematics should approach it in the same fashion he or she would approach learning any other language. If someone moves to a foreign country, he or she does not expect to know the language automatically. It takes practice and contact with a language in order to master it. After a short time in the foreign country he or she would not say, 'I do not know this language well yet. I must not have an aptitude for it.' Yet many people have this attitude toward mathematics. If time is spent learning and practicing the principles, mathematics will become familiar and understandable. Don't give up.

Debra Ross, the author, February 16, 1999

Note to the reader: There is a misprint in books from the first printing on page138: ln (infinity) = infinity, not zero.