Exploring Mathematics

Includes Access to Student Companion Website! This textbook is intended for a one or two-term course in mathematics for students majoring in the social sciences, English, history, or any of the other majors within the liberal arts. With a central theme around the use of the concept of functions, and the inclusion of unique topics and chapters, Exploring Mathematics enables students to explore the next level of mathematics. It attempts to answer the questions, "How does mathematics help us to better our society and understand the world around us?" and "What are some of the unifying ideas of mathematics?" This central theme helps to impress upon the student the feeling that mathematics is more than a disconnected potpourri of rules and tricks. Although it would be inappropriate to force a functional connection in every single section, the theme is used whenever possible to provide conceptual bridges between chapters. The Text's Objectives: The author chose the topics based on meeting the specific NCTM curriculum standards to: 1. Strengthen estimation and computational skills. 2. Utilize algebraic concepts. 3. Emphasize problem-solving and reasoning. 4. Emphasize pattern and relationship recognition. 5. Highlight importance of units in measurement. 6. Highlight importance of the notion of a mathematical function. 7. Display mathematical connections to other disciplines.