The Humongous Book of Algebra Problems

I always use this book to learn & relearn algebra. I used it to study for the asvab a decade ago and scored in the 90’s in math. And I’m using it again today to prepare for an engineering degree. This is one of my most valuable books that I own, and I own some good reads. It takes you from knowing almost zero math, to seeing math everywhere in the world around you. I would recommend this book to everyone. I’ve purchased this book 3 different times, during three very different years of my life. It’s fun to study if you have no reason to study math, and outstanding if you have a reason. I don’t have kids, I’ve only used it for myself, but if you did have kids, and needed to learn it yourself to teach them, I’d 100% use this book. You can get through all the concepts very quickly, or take your time really digesting every piece and be mind blown by the world of math. The books is very easy to read, and never leaves you hanging, and there are no errors. There are fun notes along the way, and each block of information is something you can use as a was to test yourself after learning each concept. I hope this message reaches the person who needs it most. I do deep research on every thing I purchase and was never disappointed with this book. If you’re looking for an algebra book, buy this one. Like for real, stop looking, this is the one. From basic numbers to formulas. (I think for the asvab I only had to study about 50%-60% of the book to score in the 90’s if that helps anyone). Very very good book.

Wow, just wow. I can't recommend this book enough A few months ago, I decided to go back to school (specifically for a master's program) and started looking for a text that could help me review all of the algebra I'd forgotten (in preparation for reviewing all the calculus I'd forgotten). I was basically looking for something that A) would give me a broad understanding of all of the important Algebra topics I need to know and B) wouldn't baby me or throw too much at me in one go. While there are plenty of online and offline resources to help understand specific topics and areas of Algebra, nothing has been quite right (either the explanations focus too much on explaining the simple stuff, doesn't explain enough of the basics or doesn't cover enough topics). The Humongous Book of Algebra problems, however, has been absolutely perfect for what I need. There are basically two reasons why I absolutely love this book. First, format of the book. This book is written in a basic Q and A format where a question is asked and Kelly answer it both on a technical and theoretical level (ie, what you do to the numbers to get the answer and why it works that way). Each question in answered in a quick no-nonsense style that gives you the important information - no more, no less. This format breaks up Algebra into bite sized questions that lets the reader take in as much information as he or she needs. At some points I was able to breeze past several pages, while at other points I needed to read and reread an answer before finally getting it. Apart from the fine intake control, the Q and A style breaks everything up into small steps that allows you to pin point exactly what you get and what you don't get. Sometimes texts and materials try to bundle up several subtopics into one overarching topic. As a result, it can be difficult to figure out what exactly you don't understand or what you need to go over to get the concept. Not so with this book. Also, this Q and A style allows you to quiz yourself. After covering a few pages, you can go back, cover the solution, and try to answer the question in your own words. The solutions are extensive enough that answering most requires you to deeply understand why something works the way it does (which, you have to admit, is much better than the end of the chapter battery of plug and chug questions that most textbooks give you) Second, the wording. This is where the book really shines. Most math books force you to choose between two styles - a super jargon heavy technical style or a simplified conversational style. Each have their strengths and weaknesses (Jargon will helps you understand advanced texts but can be difficult to get an initial understanding of; The simplified style is easy to understand, but can get annoying as you start trying to get a deeper understanding of what's going on), but this book takes the best of both. As it's base, it uses a technical style that doesn't get to heavy, but still uses the proper terminology. However, the little 'notes' that Kelly has added to the book gives you little tricks and simple alternative explanations that helps the reader grasp the core concept quickly. There were so many "ohhh now I get it" moments as I read these notes. As a result, while the book has enough rigor to keep you advancing as a student, the side notes makes you feel like you've got a helpful tutor pointing out the easiest ways to understand the harder topics. If any of this sounds like it will be the least bit helpful for your study goals, I definitely suggest you pick up a copy of this book.

I found this to be the absolute best algebra book I have ever used. I am actually giving it 4.5 stars. The reason being, although it is phenomenal, there are some errors and I just can't justify a full 5 stars to a math book with errors (more on this later). I'll throw out my math background and why I bought this book. I've taken Algebra I (high school), Algebra II (high school), Algebra w/Trig (high school), pre-calculus (high school), Intermediate College Algebra, College Trig, and College Algebra. The 3 college classes were over 10 years ago. Absolutely nothing has given me the clarity that this book provided (with the caveat that I'm older and more serious about the subject now). I am going back to school and taking College Algebra and Trig again soon so I bought this book as a refresher. The style of the book (the notes, witty comments, and hints) are great and the fact that he goes through all of the steps and explains them really made the concepts hit home for me. I hit this book at a clip of 3 hours per day and was able to get through the entire thing between 2/27/12 and 3/11/12 (with one day sort of off where I only worked for 46 minutes - yeah I did actually track my progress:) ). So if you want to get through it, that's how long it's gonna take (more or less). Prior to this book I went all the way through the Maran Illustrated Effortless Algebra book (which took a little over a week). Effortless Algebra doesn't even come close to the HBoAP. I also have Practical Algebra (A Self-Teaching Guide) and College Algebra Demystified - neither of which compare to the HBoAP. I actually found myself fascinated by Algebra while going through this book and I'm looking forward to taking my classes (and then moving beyond!). Now, there were some errors: Page 229 (problem 10.34) should read - The 2x2 Matrix "RIGHT" (not left) of the dotted line is A^-1, the inverse matrix of A. Page 243 (problem 11.18) a should = -19 NOT -16 as (-38/2) in the previous step = -19 Page 254 (problem 11.44) The top row of synthetic division should have a -9 NOT a +9 Page 408 (problem 18.23) The final answer should be e^g(e) = e^1 ------ which simplifies to g(e) = 1. The answer IS NOT g(3) = 1. (Mike was kind enough to answer this one for me via email as it baffled me how he came to this answer and I spent an hour staring at it.) Page 518 (problem 23.5) When solving the equation using the quadratic formula you are solving for "y" but it's evaluated for "x" at the end. Granted there aren't that many errors for a book with 1,000 problems in it, but since these are all skull questions (really hard ones) they should have the correct answers. I know that no book is perfect and errors happen, but I cannot give it 5 stars because of these errors, not so much for my sake, but for the super-beginner algebra person who may not spot these and could be really led astray due to these errors. I also felt that Mike toned down the explanations in the logarithm sections, which is probably the hardest section in the book. I think if this book is revised that this section needs more problems and more detailed explanations. Outside of these minor issues, this book is outstanding. Edit: As a followup I took the COMPASS test today (3/12-12) and tested into pre-calculus thanks to this book and the time I put into studying.

Really great book with tons of explanations and examples, straightforward to understand.

I am an old guy. 2 masters in computer science and electronics. I am moving into AI space where math concepts become more important. My GPA in college was 3.8 going through all math through differential equations. But that was many years ago. Big picture is still in my head but many nuts and bolts have been forgotten. This book explains everything better than any book I have ever seen like this. It fills in all the nooks, crannies and crumbs. Extremely helpful for me anyway to re-ramp up in algebra. Headed towards calculus, differential equations and statistics. I will be using more of this series of math books. Very highly recommend.

Best math book I have ever had. Needed this to brush up and with this book I’ll get there.

Each chapter tackles an area of algebra and provides lots and lots of examples. Each concept is demonstrated clearly. One of the many things I like about this book is the numerous notes in the margins which explain key concepts or places it would otherwise be easy to get tripped up on. The tone is a lot like the Dummies books--light and easy to follow. Yet it a serious book--something the Dummies books can't always claim. I also like how they label the difficult problems with a skull and crossbones, so you know before you begin that those problems will be toughies. Finally, the book is organized the way it should be: easy stuff first, and then you slowly build on what you learn. If you get stuck--and the authors anticipate this at critical points in the book--they even give you the references you need to go back and brush up on something. This is a great place to start if, like me, you have become very rusty in math. Work through all the problems, go slowly, be patient, and your math skills will definitely improve, well, exponentially!

A great book, loaded with concepts on how to solve problems. This is NOT a practice book, this is a book to help you get the idea of a problem. I've personally learned more this way and did much better with homework by memorizing the ways to solve problems. Whenever I look at problems, I can now recall "first this, then that, and then that, and then that's the answer. For me Math is just like another language class. However, this book is very wordy. I've grabbed a pen, and scribbled things out, rephrased it in a way my simple brain can handle it in few words, after figuring out what is said. I find his Complete Idiots Guide Edition to Pre-Calculous amazing. I don't know why he doesn't word things more one-to-one in this series as he does in those books, that's the point of help/guides. I also have to take notes of middle steps I notice he skips or doesn't explain well. He doesn't skip often, but occasionally he does. His word choices and the admittedly terrible format of this book had my head scratching at the "slope shortcut." I had to use Google to confirm if my guesses were true, so far so good. I also grab a couple pens and make notes of steps and redo some steps to my understanding, and that way if I ever have to go back, there's no figuring out words and scratching my head at explanations that can be scattered around. The vocabulary terms can be subtle, and fit in with the rest of the paragraphs. If you can get used to the style, it should be manageable. In brief, use bigger titles; if multiple problems are related to one equation, then break them into subsections with letters like 1. A- B- C- and if a new equation or situation pops up, then go to number 2.

An excellent book.

Very good

Bought this book for my younger brothers after purchasing his Calculus book. It saved my life and my grade and is doing the same for my brothers! Highly, highly recommend buying this book for students in high school and then purchasing the Calculus book for high school and first year university Calculus.

Its good just not what I personally expected it to be!

excellent