Precalculus with Geometry & Trigonometry

Abstract

This text is intended to be part of a College Algebra course which exposes students to this philosophy. Such a course will almost certainly be a compromise, particularly if it must be taught in a lecture/recitation format to large numbers of students. The emphasis in this course is on mastering the Algebraic technique. Algebra is a discipline which studies the results of manipulating expressions (according to a set of rules which may vary with the context) to put them in convenient form, for enhanced understanding. In this view, Algebra consists of looking for ways of finding information about various quantities, even though it is difficult or even impossible to explicitly solve for them. Algebra consists of finding multiple expressions for the same quantities, since the comparison of different expressions often leads to new discoveries