Algebra DeMYSTiFieD, Second Edition Paperback – 2 Dec. 2010

I'm 58. By some strange quirk of fate I have just started a job where I have to produce proof that I can do maths. The last time I saw the very poor pass I had was in 1972 - so rather than chase around I decided to go back to school, do an evening class and do my maths GCSE.When I was 14 I could never get my head around algebra. Doing it again at 58 I could feel my 14 year-old self laughing at my pathetic attempts this year. Unlike my 14 old self I resolved not to give up and have ended up buying several books and videos to help me understand what is going on. They were all pretty obscure and explanations were short and made little sense.That is, until I brought this book. This is the one work book - and there is plenty of work in here to do - that has made sense. It's the one book that has each step spelled out and helped me understand why I was doing something. I have patiently worked (as recommended by the author) through each chapter sequentially and now feel that I understand enough to pass the GCSE with flying colours. (My teacher is predicting an A.) The book will take you far beyond the requirements of GCSE, at least to A level if you want it to.I can't praise it too highly, it really was that easy to understand and work through. To be fair, it's not going to be a quick fix if the exam is just a few weeks away, you really need to work through each chapter - but if you want to shed light on the mystery of algebra this is the one I'd recommend.(Update December 2013 - I passed with flying colours - well chuffed!)

A suitably graded educational publication for those starting out with algebra or those wishing to revise the subject. Very clearly presented with worked examples and exercises for study. The only minor quibble I have is that the answers to the problems have been moved to the back of the book whereas in the first addition they conveniently appeared at the end of each chapter. I am finding this book a pleasure to work with after not having studied algebra for over 50 years.

GOOOD!!

A fine Book that teaches how to fathom and write Algebra...as well as the difficult Art of converting word problems into Symbols....rarely taught when I was at School,sadly

good

Brought this to 'demistify'' my brain after after years of not using algebra and to help with grandson's GCSE's. Must admit found it a little bitty, the approach and explanations seem often more complex than needs. Prefer a gentler approach leading towards explaining the complex bits.

Awful. Does not demystify anything, uch better books out there. Mostly made up of pages of examples to work though in unexciting way. Need to be maths literate (I am) to be able to understand the explanations - you will have to translate these for your child.

Definitely helped me pass Algebra and I have taken this class a few times with no success. This time I got a B!!! I would suggest going over the material front to cover before taking the class. This helped big time! I used this text with Painless Algebra for an additional reference. If you are a math idiot like myself I would also suggest starting out easy and reviewing Pre-Algebra Demystified then using this text.

Very thorough and well organized

Excellent pour repartir l'algèbre à zéro. Permet d'atteindre un niveau 2nde, voire 1ere S pour certains sujets. Tous les thèmes sont très clairement expliqués et les nombreux exercices d'application comportent des corrigés détaillés.Le seul hic c'est que c'est en anglais (mais d'un niveau accessible puisque les exemples mathématiques parlent souvent d'eux-mêmes). Il est dommage que les éditeurs français ne se donnent pas la peine de faire traduire de tels bijoux de pédagogie dont je n'ai pas trouvé l'équivalent dans notre langue, les manuels existants étant à mon sens trop sommaires et ne comportent pas assez d'exercices ou problèmes corrigés.Dans la même collection existent des ouvrages du même genre qui conduisent jusqu'au niveau universitaire ou classes prépas. Vive l'Amérique!

Really well explained step by step from easy to garder with great exemples and a good amount of exercises to understand

This Algebra math book provides a good overall coverage however, in chapter 5 it does not explain a lot about adding/subtracting rational expressions and so forth. I found this to be very frustrating and had to go to other sources to try and master the exponents and roots in chapter 5. I still recommend this book to any well-equipped math book library but not as a stand-alone.