Functions and Change: A Modeling Approach to College Algebra, 6th Edition

Bruce Crauder, Benny Evans, Alan Noell

Copyright 2018
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Functions and Change: A Modeling Approach to College Algebra 6th Edition by Bruce Crauder/Benny Evans/Alan Noell

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Overview
Meet the Authors
What's New
Features
Table of Contents
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Overview

FUNCTIONS AND CHANGE: A MODELING APPROACH TO COLLEGE ALGEBRA, Sixth Edition, is ideal for both non-traditional and terminal students taking college algebra, as well as those who may continue onto calculus. Graphing utilities, functions, modeling, real data, applications and projects develop students’ skills and give them the practice they need to not only master basic mathematics but apply it in future courses and careers. With a new, separate section on quadratic functions, additional emphasis on business applications, and new skill-building exercises and Excel activities, the sixth edition reinforces the authors' focus on connecting math in the real world, promotes mastery of the material, and fosters critical thinking.

Meet the Authors

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Bruce Crauder

Bruce Crauder received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1981, after which he spent a post-doctoral year at the Institute for Advanced Studies. Since then, he has held positions at the University of Utah, University of Pennsylvania, University of North Carolina, Colorado State University, and is now at Oklahoma State University as a Professor of Mathematics. Crauder has held NSF research grants in algebraic geometry and has worked with several NSF grants for mathematics curricular reform and development with Benny Evans and Alan Noell. He is currently the Associate Dean for Instruction of the College of Arts & Sciences at Oklahoma State.

Benny Evans

Benny Evans received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Michigan in 1971. After a year at the Institute for Advanced Study he came to Oklahoma State University where he has served as Undergraduate Director, Associate Head, and Head. He has been the recipient of both public and private grants in the areas of topology and mathematics education. He has held visiting appointments at Rice University, Texas A&M University, and University of Nevada, Reno, and is currently Professor Emeritus at Oklahoma State University.

Alan Noell

Alan Noell received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Princeton University in 1983 and had a two-year postdoctoral position at Caltech. His scholarly activities include complex analysis and curriculum development. He has been a Co-Principal Investigator on grants funded by the National Science Foundation. He has served as Undergraduate Director and Graduate Director in the Department of Mathematics at Oklahoma State University, where he is currently an Associate Head and Professor of Mathematics.

What's New

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NOTE: This title is also available in WebAssign with Corequisite Support that provides the flexibility to match any corequisite implementation model and empowers you to deliver high quality content at the right time for your students at an affordable price.
By popular request, an increased emphasis on business applications is sprinkled throughout the text and is included in new exercises.
Additional Skill Building Exercises help prepare students for the regular exercise sets.
Several new activities are available for those who are using the text with Microsoft Excel.
A new “A Further Look” feature examines both appropriate and inappropriate interpretations of r-values.
The treatment of rational functions has been updated and strengthened with the addition of interesting new examples and exercises.
A new, separate section on quadratic functions provides additional exercises and a more complete treatment of this common type of function.

Features

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ENHANCED WEBASSIGN: FUNCTIONS AND CHANGE: A MODELING APPROACH TO COLLEGE ALGEBRA, Sixth Edition, is fully supported by Enhanced WebAssign (EWA), the powerful online homework and course management system that engages students in learning the math. EWA includes new end-of-chapter exercises and pre-built assignments vetted by trusted subject matter experts along with robust course, section, assignment, and question settings and online testing to help instructors foster a deeper understanding of course concepts.
Integrated graphing calculator technology helps students understand abstract concepts as a descriptive and problem-solving tool.
Test Your Understanding feature follows examples in the text and challenges students to solve similar problems. Answers are provided to reinforce correct work.
The Solving Inequalities section in Chapter 2 expands upon the fundamental ideas of solving equations by the method of crossing graphs. This avoids common errors and is applicable to inequalities to which techniques of algebra do not apply.
The Constant Percentage Change section in Chapter 4 allows for additional discussion and for students to master its importance in applications of exponential functions.
Trimmed Algebraic Look sections are either grouped together at the end of chapters or placed in the appendix, giving instructors the flexibility to decide which of these materials they wish to use.
Reorganized Skill exercises are now located at the end of the major exercises to emphasize the importance of the major exercises and the many applications they contain.
The "Rule of Four"—graphically, numerically, symbolically, and verbally—introduces functions. Thus, students grasp the connection between answer types and thus develop a better understanding of the concept addressed.
Diverse Modeling/Real-Life Applications and Data reveal mathematics as an integral part of nature, science, and society. This real-world context allows students to check their answers against their own intuition and common sense while also making the topic more relevant and interesting.
Chapter Review Exercises help students build their skills to remember key concepts from the chapter.
An informal approach offers clear explanations that leave out unnecessary technicalities so that students who are not comfortable with algebra will easily understand the concepts.

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Prologue: Calculator Arithmetic.
Summary. Chapter Review Exercises.
1. FUNCTIONS.
Functions Given by Formulas. Functions Given by Tables. Functions Given by Graphs. Functions Given by Words. Summary. Chapter Review Exercises. A Further Look: Average Rates of Change with Formulas. A Further Look: Areas Associated with Graphs.
A Further Look: Definition of a Function.
2. GRAPHICAL AND TABULAR ANALYSIS.
Table and Trends. Graphs. Solving Linear Equations. Solving Nonlinear Equations. Inequalities. Optimization. Summary. Chapter Review Exercises. A Further Look: Limits. A Further Look: Shifting and Stretching. A Further Look: Optimizing with Parabolas.
3. STRAIGHT LINES AND LINEAR FUNCTIONS.
The Geometry of Lines. Linear Functions. Modeling Data with Linear Functions. Linear Regression. Systems of Equations. Summary. Chapter Review Exercises. A Further Look: The Correlation Coefficient. A Further Look: Parallel and Perpendicular Lines. A Further Look: Secant Lines.
4. EXPONENTIAL FUNCTIONS.
Exponential Growth and Decay. Constant Percentage Change. Modeling Exponential Data. Modeling Nearly Exponential Data. Logarithmic Functions. Summary. Chapter Review Exercises. A Further Look: Solving Exponential Equations.
5. A SURVEY OF OTHER COMMON FUNCTIONS.
Logistic Functions. Power Functions. Modeling Data with Power Functions. Combining and Decomposing Functions. Quadratic Functions. Higher-Degree Polynomials and Rational Functions. Summary. Chapter Review Exercises. A Further Look: Fitting Logistic Data using Rates of Change. A Further Look: Factoring Polynomials, Behavior at Infinity.
6. RATES OF CHANGE.
Velocity. Rates of Change for Other Functions. Estimating Rates of Change. Equations of Change: Linear and Exponential Functions. Equations of Change: Graphical Solutions. Summary. Chapter Review Exercises.
APPENDIX A.
Order of Operations. Geometric Constructions. Inverse Function. Solving Equations by Factoring. Equations of Lines. Elementary Properties of Exponents. Quadratic Functions and Complex Numbers.
APPENDIX B.
Arithmetic Operations. Tables and Graphs. Discrete Data.
APPENDIX C.
Arithmetic Operations. Tables and Graphs. Discrete Data
BRIEF ANSWERS TO SELECTED EXERCISES.
INDEX.