College Algebra Concepts and Models

College Algebra: Concepts and Models provides a solid understanding of algebra, using modeling techniques and real-world data applications. The text is effective for students who will continue on in mathematics, as well as for those who will end their mathematics education with college algebra. Instructors may also take advantage of optional discovery and exploration activities that use technology and are integrated throughout the text.

A brief version of this text, College Algebra: A Concise Course, provides a shorter version of the text without the introductory review.

• Make a Decision features thread through each chapter beginning with the Chapter Opener application, followed by examples and exercises, and ending with the end-of-chapter project. Students are asked to choose which answer fits within the context of a problem, to interpret answers in the context of a problem, to choose an appropriate model for a data set, or to decide whether a current model will continue to be accurate in future years.
• Chapter Projects extend applications designed to enhance students understanding of mathematical concepts. Real data is previewed at the beginning of the chapter and then analyzed in detail in the Project at the end of the chapter. Here the student is guided through a set of multi-part exercises using modeling, graphing, and critical thinking skills to analyze the data.
• Questions involving skills, modeling, writing, critical thinking, problem-solving, applications, and real data sets are included throughout the text. Exercises are presented in a variety of question formats, including free response, true/false, and fill-in the blank.
• "In the News" Articles from current media sources (magazines, newspapers, web sites, etc.) are found in every chapter. Students answer questions that connect the article and the algebra learned in that section. This feature allows students to see the relevancy of what they are learning, and the importance of everyday mathematics.
• Discussing the Concept activities end most sections and encourage students to think, reason, and write about algebra. These exercises help synthesize the concepts and methods presented in the section. Instructors can use these problems for individual student work, for collaborative work or for class discussion. In many sections, problems in the exercise sets have been marked with a special icon in the instructor's edition as alternative discussion/collaborative problem.
• Discovery activities provide opportunities for the exploration of selected mathematical concepts. Students are encouraged to use techniques such as visualization and modeling to develop their intuitive understanding of theoretical concepts.
• Eduspace Houghton Mifflin's online learning tool powered by Blackboard, is a customizable, powerful and interactive platform that provides instructors with text-specific online courses and content.