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Fundamentals of Mathematics (Burzynski and Ellis)

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    This text covers the traditional study in a modern prealgebra course, as well as the topics of estimation, elementary analytic geometry, and introductory algebra. It is intended for students who:

    1. have had previous courses in prealgebra
    2. wish to meet the prerequisites of higher level courses such as elementary algebra
    3. need to review fundamental mathematical concenpts and techniques

    This text will help the student develop the insight and intuition necessary to master arithmetic techniques and manipulative skills. It was written with the following main objectives:

    1. to provide the student with an understandable and usable source of information
    2. to provide the student with the maximum oppurtinity to see that arithmetic concepts and techniques are logically based
    3. to instill in the student the understanding and intuitive skills necessary to know how and when to use particular arithmetic concepts in subsequent material cources and nonclassroom situations
    4. to give the students the ability to correctly interpret arithmetically obtained results

    We have tried to meet these objects by presenting material dynamically much the way an instructor might present the material visually in a classroom. (See the development of the concept of addition and subtraction of fractions in section 5.3 for examples) Intuition and understanding are some of the keys to creative thinking, we believe that the material presented in this text will help students realize that mathematics is a creative subject.

    Thumbnail: Diagram of the Pythagorean theorem showing squaring a number is literally turning it into a square and that a squared (9) plus b squared (16) equals c squared (25) and that the square root is is the number before it was turned into a square therefore C = 5. (CC BY-SA 4.0; Gregg Tavares via Wikipedia).

    This page titled Fundamentals of Mathematics (Burzynski and Ellis) is shared under a CC BY license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Denny Burzynski & Wade Ellis, Jr. (OpenStax CNX) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.