5 stars (Very Satisfied) - I am highly pleased with my purchase. The item is in wonderful condition and the delivery was FaSt! Wow. Great Experience! 4 stars (You have to start somewhere...) - Tobey and Slater's 'Beginning Algebra' text is used by my college where I tutor mathematics in the first course in Algebra, often the first course in Algebra many of our students have ever taken. It is very much a beginning course, as the course itself carries no official 'credit' (it is a zero-level course, as a prerequisite to other science and mathematics courses, that many students place out of on the basis of assessment scores). The first chapter is actually a Chapter Zero, covering review topics in the event students have not had mathematics for a while. These include topics such as fractions, decimals, percentages, estimation, and basic arithmetical functions. The chapter is a bit disorganised (however, every class seems to have a different intuitive feel for mathematics, so I have not discovered that one system of rearrangement that works for all classes). The following chapters cover the major topics of Algebra systematically: Real Numbers and Variables; Equations and Inequalities; Applied Problems (this is the dreaded `story problem' chapter, where most students who seek tutoring first seek it out); Exponents and Polynomial expressions; Factoring (another major area of problem for students); Rational Expressions/Equations; Graphing and Functions (the third primary area of problem for students); Solving Systems of Equations; Radicals and Roots (including some basic geometry via the Pythagorean theorem); and finally Quadratic Equations. Each of the sections includes pretests, post-tests and reviews, and plenty of problems to be solved to reinforce the mathematical principles being presented. There are a few issues with the organisation that we address in the course (sometimes the introduction of square roots and radicals needs to be advanced to assist in the... Prentice Hall :: Mathematics & Algebra & General :: Science&Mathematics :: Mathematics :: Algebra - General :: Algebra - Elementary :: Algebra :: Jeffrey Slater :: John Jr Tobey :: :: Beginning Algebra (6th Edition)