Pathways to College Mathematics, 1st edition

About the Textbook

• Learning objectives, clearly stated at the beginning of each section, are framed in the context of a question (What am I supposed to learn?) so students can recognize and focus on the section’s most important ideas. The objectives are restated in the margin at their point of use.
• Blitzer’s engaging and thought-provoking applications keep students motivated with timely real-world events and data.
• Chapter- and section-opening scenarios present a unique application of mathematics in students’ lives outside the classroom. These scenarios are revisited in examples, discussions, or exercises.
• Interesting applications from nearly every discipline, supported by up-to-date real world data, are included in every section.
• Blitzer Bonus enrichment essays appear throughout the text, covering a variety of interesting applications. These show students that math is a fascinating and dynamic discipline.
• Examples are clearly written and provide students with detailed step-by-step solutions. No steps are omitted and each step is thoroughly explained. Examples are titled, which makes the purpose of the example clear.
• Explanatory voice balloons translate mathematical ideas into everyday English, help clarify problem-solving procedures, present alternative ways of understanding concepts, and connect problem-solving strategies to concepts that students have already learned.
• Check Point exercises after every example make the text more interactive by offering students the opportunity to test their understanding of the example by working a similar exercise. Answers to all of the Check Points are in the answer section.
• Concept and Vocabulary Checks provide fill-in-the-blank and true/false exercises that assess students’ understanding of the definitions and concepts presented in the section. These appear as separate features before the exercise sets, and are useful for engaging classroom discussion and participation.
• Extensive exercise sets offer several types of exercises. This variety makes it easy to create well-rounded homework assignments from the text or in MyMathLab. Exercise types include the following:
• Practice exercises follow the same order as the examples–this parallel order enables students to refer to the titled examples plus their detailed explanations to successfully achieve each section’s objectives.
• Practice Plus problems are more challenging exercises that require students to combine several skills or concepts.
• Application exercises give the option of assigning realistic, relevant, and unique applications consistent with your students’ needs and interests.
• Critical Thinking exercises require the use of analytic skills that go beyond the section’s basic objectives. These exercises ask students to make sense of complex problems and persevere in solving them.
• Technology exercises enable students to use a variety of tools to explore and deepen their understanding of concepts.
• Group exercises contain projects and collaborative activities that give students the opportunity to work cooperatively as they think and talk about mathematics.
• Learning tools are fueled by Bob Blitzer’s unique background–degrees in psychology and mathematics, plus 30 years of teaching at Miami Dade College–giving students what they need to succeed in this course.
• Brief Review boxes summarize mathematical skills that students should have learned previously, but which many still need to review. This feature appears whenever a particular skill is first needed and eliminates the need to reteach that skill.
• Great Question! This feature presents study tips in the context of student questions. Answers offer suggestions for problem solving, point out common errors to avoid, and provide informal hints and suggestions. A side benefit is that students feel less anxious about asking questions in class.
• Achieving Success boxes at the end of most sections offer strategies for persistence and success in college mathematics courses.
• Chapter Review Summary Charts summarizes the definitions and concepts in every section of the chapter. Examples that illustrate these key concepts are also included in the chart. For further review, the chart refers students to similar worked-out examples, by page number, from the chapter
• Chapter Review exercises follow the Summary Charts, and provide a comprehensive review of each section of the text.
• The Chapter Test enables students to check their understanding of the material and see if they’re ready for the real thing.
• The Learning Guide workbook (available separately) helps students learn how to make the most of their textbook and its companion learning tools, including MyMathLab. Organized by the textbook’s learning objectives, this workbook provides additional practice for each section and guidance for test preparation. Additional activities in the Learning Guide may be used for group work in class to encourage critical thinking and reinforce concepts. Published in an unbound, binder-ready format, the Learning Guide can serve as the foundation for students’ course notebooks.

Also available with MyMathLab

MyMathLab is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment program designed to work with this text to engage students and improve results. Within its structured environment, students practice what they learn, test their understanding, and pursue a personalized study plan that helps them absorb course material and understand difficult concepts.

• The Ready to Go course provides students with all the same great MyMathLab features, but make it easier for instructors to get started.
• Pre-assigned items include a pre-made pre- and post- test for every chapter, section-level homework, and a chapter review quiz linked to personalized homework.
• A wealth of video resources provide students with extra help for each section of the text.
• Section lecture videos provide easy navigation to objectives, key examples, and exercises.
• Check Point Videos show instructors working out each Check Point problem in the section to ensure understanding. These are available for select sections.