Product Description Stimulating collection of over 300 unusual problems involving equations and inequalities, Diophantine equations, number theory, quadratic equations, logarithms and more. Problems range from easy to difficult. Detailed solutions, as well as brief answers, for all problems are provided.
reviews
Fun stuff
I do math for fun, but I only like to do problems that are, well, PROBLEMS, and not just exercises. That's what this book is, a book of unique, nonroutine problems in algebra.
While I've taken courses in AP Calculus and Statistics and such, I find that the problems contained in this little book re-open the avenues of precalculus mathematics and show the reader/solver what the math teachers and AP and all that jazz never could: problems that require insight, ingenuity, and diligence. Solving each problem in this book is a joy! There's always something new to be learned with each problem, even if you don't succeed.
Anyway, yeah, the problems are great, the solutions lucid, and the price dirt cheap. If you want to challenge your math ability, then buy this book and spend a good amount of time doing the problems. If you want to just do well in algebra class, please redirect yourself to the Schaum's »Algebra« guide for more routine, classroom work.
Good book – questions range from easy to difficult, solutions are very helpful.
This is the opinion of a math teacher, who bought this book for self-improvement. It's a good book and I sure reccomend it.
If you are a teacher you will find out that the questions vary, from very easy, to medium and difficult. Mathematics Olympiad-type questions are a little scarce. So if you're looking for an upper level you could always buy it together with »Mathematical Olympiad Challenges« by Titu Andreescu.
Still, the easiest questions fit the stronger students very well, and the harder ones can be very helpful for teachers.
Also, the solutions are very well written.
A good resource for math teams and algebra teachers
While this book is obviously a good resource for math teams (and apparently the audience towards which the book is geared), the book is also useful for teachers of regular algebra classes. While some of the problems are considerably beyond the grasp of all but the most gifted students, others lie more reasonably on the more challenging side of what »average« students are capable of. Solving these problems really encourages students to mentally stretch more than the average story problems in a textbook, and the level of achievement students feel after solving one is truly gratifying. I've found these problems to be especially good for small group work or »team« competitions.