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Head First Algebra |  | Authors: Tracey Pilone, Dan Pilone
Publisher: O'Reilly Media
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $6.00
as of 11/22/2009 03:05 CST details
You Save: $23.99 (80%)
New (35) Used (14) from $5.25
Seller: sweethomeliquid2
Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 51811
Media: Paperback
Edition: illustrated edition
Pages: 529
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 8.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0596514867
Dewey Decimal Number: 512
EAN: 9780596514860
ASIN: 0596514867
Publication Date: January 2, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Having trouble understanding algebra? Do algebraic concepts, equations, and logic just make your head spin? We have great news: Head First Algebra is designed for you. Full of engaging stories and practical, real-world explanations, this book will help you learn everything from natural numbers and exponents to solving systems of equations and graphing polynomials. Along the way, you'll go beyond solving hundreds of repetitive problems, and actually use what you learn to make real-life decisions. Does it make sense to buy two years of insurance on a car that depreciates as soon as you drive it off the lot? Can you really afford an XBox 360 and a new iPhone? Learn how to put algebra to work for you, and nail your class exams along the way. Your time is way too valuable to waste struggling with new concepts. Using the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory learning experience, Head First Algebra uses a visually rich format specifically designed to take advantage of the way your brain really works.
Amazon.com Review
If you need help with algebra, this unique book is designed for you. Full of engaging stories and practical explanations, Head First Algebra will help you learn everything from natural numbers to exponents to solving systems of equations and graphing polynomials.
Right after you tell someone that you’re writing a math book, that’s what half the people tell you. Why is that? You never hear somebody say “I’m not a history person.” They’ll just say “I don’t like history.” It says to me that people think it’s something wrong with them, not the subject.
Why is that important? Because it means that helping learners struggling with math is equal parts working on the material and working on the learner. In order to really get the learner engaged, you first have to fix the math issues that they have. |
Where do math issues come from? Math study is sequential.
If you have problem with understanding a concept with addition, then you’re going to have trouble with subtraction and multiplication. So if you have a problem with Algebra, it’s going to follow you through Geometry, Algebra 2, Trigonometry, and the fact is that unless you go back and relearn the concept that is missing, there will be problems showing up in your work and it will be really hard to find the root cause.
Through elementary school, here’s how math progresses:
Pretty intuitive in the beginning (adding and subtracting you can do with blocks and it makes total sense).
|  |  | | Then “math” goes into the land of times tables, division, more multiplication (this time with two places), more division (this time with two places), and it tends to get...well...Boring! So by the time you start Algebra, you’re already saying, "I'm not a math person." |
 | | The problem is that Algebra is where mathematics really starts, although a bunch of people are already turned off. In Algebra you’re learning how to apply logic, how to construct a real problem in the math world, and seeking a solution to things that you can’t do in your head. You can write out the situation as you know it, and following Algebraic principles, get to the answer. The answer is something that you can actually use. You learn the process and understand the relationship that the equation, inequality, functions, or graph represents; and how to manipulate it. | | EVERYBODY is a math person; you just might not know it yet. Doesn’t mean that everybody is going to love it, go out and become a math major, but it means that everyone can work with math and use it out there in the world. Because you’ll need to. Unless you plan to never spend any money or put anything together with tools, you’re going to need math to help you. And there is no reason why everyone can’t get there. They just have to start by thinking they can. |
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
 great for college students October 23, 2009
Cathy Duffy (Westminster, CA United States)
I generally review books for the homeschool market up through twelfth grade, so I first looked at this as a possibility for use in high school. While it covers the material for an Algebra 1 course just fine, the presentation tends to limit the audience to college and young adults.
The book uses lots of life situations within which problems and their solutions are presented. The life situations include, for example, computing the costs of bringing along a group of friends on a road trip to a concert, determining amounts of ingredients to make punch for a New Year's party, determining placement of a water balloon catapult for frat warfare, and computing costs of operating a profitable lawn business. All of these are addressed to a young adult rather than high school audience.
The style of the presentation is very engaging, especially for those who appreciate all the extra visuals--arrows, and "scibbled" notes to explain things that a teacher might be mentioning in a classroom situation, very casual and direct language, photos of real people commenting in cartoon bubbles on the lesson content, crossword puzzles for practice and review, and more graphics than you generally find in an algebra text.
Those who haven't studied math for a few years will likely appreciate the review of pre-algebra 63-page section at the back of the book. The pre-algebra is presented in manner similar to the rest of the book, but students can refer to this section as needed... or not.
Solutions are included, and no teacher instruction is required, so Head First Algebra really works well for a student working totally independently.
One of the best, but someone needed to edit for ERRORS July 27, 2009
Michael Lovett (Lake Wylie, SC)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
On a Thursday I found out I needed to take a college placement test on Monday and this test included higher math, including Algebra, which I hadn't studied in 30 year.
I hit the local Barnes & Noble and came home with three books on Algebra, and over the next 2.5 days worked through a good chunk of all of them, allowing me to do some good side-by-side comparisons.
I liked the verbose teaching style and constant use of fairly realistic examples in this book. I like that they explain some things that other books just assume you know, and therefore don't mention.
I like all the "hand-written" side notes and arrows and diagrams, and the contrived "discussions" after many topics; all these help get you thinking and remembering what you've just read, and worked on.
This book is the closest thing to being in a classroom. I say this, because many of the notes and arrows, which I just referred to, are similar to questions and answers that would probably take place in real classroom after a teacher introduced one of these topics. For example, after introducing linear graphing, a teacher would certain get questions like "But what's the point of doing this? What does it accomplish?". This book spends lots of time answering questions like these, really helping you understand that topic and answering lots of questions that would probably come up in your own mind as well.
I would give this book a better rating but they really missed the mark in one area: accuracy. Early on in the book I found several errors in the answer that really discouraged me. I thought I had misunderstood a topic and went back over the material several times till I finally just concluded they'd gotten it wrong.
This is not acceptable, folks. It's clear that LOTS of work went into this book, couldn't a little time have been spent making sure the answers were correct?
 Incorrect Solutions! June 30, 2009
A. Baca (Orange County, CA, USA)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I purchased this book to prepare for my first semester back to college at 10 years away. Math was never my strongest suit but I will need a significant amount of math courses to get through my degree.
A couple pages into the book it became clear that I was rustier than I had originally thought. I was going to give up on it and then I saw there was a pre-algebra review in an appendix, so I worked though it. It was the perfect pace for a refresher and I easily transitioned into chapter one.
I followed the instructions and worked in the book prior to going to sleep so the info would stick (and as a result I ended up dreaming about math every night), and the left brain activities were perfect to release the tension in my brain and enabled me to cover more material each evening.
That said, after just working through the pre-algebra appendix and chapters 1 & 2, I have already come across three incorrect solutions presented in the book, two of which were in the pre-algebra fractions review, which is a scary and frustrating subject for a lot of people. I was on the verge of tears because I thought I just was too dumb to understand fractions, before I realized the error was in the book, not in my math.
Also some of the problems are a little bit convoluted and don't really fit the lesson they are trying to teach.
As much as I love the set-up, style and pace of this book, incorrect answers are inexcusable.
 LD students beware June 29, 2009
Jane Wayne (Winter Garden FL)
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
I never had algebra in high school, but will be taken it in college so I wanted to get a start and study up on algebra. Well I got to the 2nd chapter and hit a wall. I could not understand a thing after the 2nd chapter. Any one with a Learning Disorder please do not get this book.
 Takes advantage of the latest brain research to design a user-friendly guide packed with real-world applications June 11, 2009
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
Any struggling through a college algebra class needs HEAD FIRST ALGEBRA, which takes advantage of the latest brain research to design a user-friendly guide packed with real-world applications. From stories to diagrams and easy charts, this is actually an engaging method of learning, not a challenge. High school to college-level libraries will find it a top pick.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
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