Algebra & Trigonometry, The MyMathLab Edition (8th Edition) 8th Edition

I received an A in the class and while the book was great preparation for the Algebra involved in Calc, it wasn’t particularly great with Trigonometry and very rarely foreshadowed the upcoming topics of Calculus.Details:I don’t recall the book covering the Double-Angle Formulas, which was a critical component of evaluating Integrals involving Trigonometric Functions, especially semi-circle and Trig Substitution. I also wish the book emphasized the importance of Trig, beyond just the title, and actually how useful memorizing will become. Furthermore, it would have been nice had they mentioned various memorization strategies for Identities and the Trig Ratios. I certainly recommend you Google the Trig Identitiy Hexagon and the Trig Ratio Hand trick. I would have had more appreciation for the topics in this book if they had done some foreshadowing of the upcoming topics in Calculus.

The item arrived overall in very good shape. The cover was somewhat discolored and had a few scratches, but the physical pages were perfect. As for the quality of the textbook material, this is the best textbook I have read for covering the necessary math needed for higher level mathematics. The information in this book is even slightly more detailed than what is present in the Precalculus edition, but it is, of course, missing the introduction to limit theory which can always be covered later in an actual Calculus textbook. The information is thorough and concise, and for this reason, if you are someone who likes to study privately and learn by yourself, this is an excellent textbook to get started with.

I ended up dropping this class half way through the semester because it wouldn’t work with my degree (and the teacher was a b) but the book came quick, was in good (but used) condition, it’s interesting and fairly helpful. I’m keeping this book for future use cause it’s fully self sustaining and you can learn from that rather then just use it for prep questions. Btw, almost NO difference between the 8th, 9th and 10th ed. so buy the cheapest one lol.

This book is the best of its kind. But turning back and forth to the answers is a hassle. Some questions have answers, some don't. It's pretty awkward to use as a teacher. I bought the solution book to help out. Same issue some problems have answers and some do not. IT's good for the curriculum though and great for the price (used) plus theres an online version and test question banks available. That is what got me to this book in the first place.

The book itself: This textbook is extremely popular for the breadth and depth of algebra and trig that it covers. This is no dummies book; it's a book written like everyone is a math major, and that's one of the reasons math professors love it. However, its hard core math-for-mathematicians focus makes it a tough textbook experience for some students to wrap their heads around the material. If you 're a math novice, mathphobic, haven't taken math in a long time, or if you didn't take (and pass) AP algebra, trig or even calculus in high school, then you will struggle with any class that uses this textbook. Sullivan does not simplify things. He expects you to know what you're doing, and you'd better be able to run with him or learn to to run, else you'll get left behind with this textbook. If you're sketchy with math and have no choice about using this book, then expect to spend time with a tutor. A lot of time. If you're wanting a more user-friendly experience with math this advanced, definitely look for a professor/college that uses the Blitzer Precalculus textbook. If you're wanting to fly with math, then Sullivan is your book.A la carte vs hardcover: Some people don't like a la carte texts. Of course, hardcovers are more durable and thus have more resale value, but some of us have other considerations to make with a textbook. I'm disabled, so I need to keep my load as light as possible, so the a la carte textbooks definitely make my life easier. Even if I weren't disabled, I'd love the option of being able to bring only what I need with me, rather than an entire textbook. That's especially important in the case of this Sullivan textbook. It has over 1000 pages and the paper is slightly glossy, which adds to the weight. The a la carte version saves a ton of strain on shoulder, neck and back.To test out how much I'd hate carrying the hardback version, I borrowed a copy from the math department of my university (one of the perks of working there), to prep for my upcoming pre-calc class over the winter break. Thankfully, the farthest I carry it right now is from one corner of my desk to another, because the hardback is one bear of a heavy book. I'd kill myself if I had to lug it to and from class every day.Another good reason for having the a la carte book is that we're only using half of the book this semester. Why carry around material I don't need, for the half that I do? Seems like a no-brainer to me.10th edition vs. 9th: This is not a textbook update merely for the sake of making a few bucks, or staying ahead of torrents. I had the ninth edition, once upon a time, and I like this tenth much better. Pearson upped the quality of the paper and made the pages a brighter white, which makes them far easier to read. The images pop from the page now, and they didn't do that before. The paper itself is sturdier than the previous version, making it less prone to wrinkling and ripping than with the 9th edition. Oddly, by improving the paper quality, they made the book lighter than it was before, and that's definitely a bonus. The improvements of the physical book itself are all for the better.The differences in material covered between this version and the ninth aren't all that dramatic, but they're definitely not absent. Some of the figures have been moved around or redone, and some of the problem set questions have been re-worked. Some errors in the solutions have also been cleared up. Sullivan is also a lot clearer when he's using proofs to explain concepts than he was before, and that's a huge help. I know that his explanations of the concepts underlying the material bores the STEM majors who only need to get through their required math classes, but, for math majors like me, those proofs are a good intro to what we'll see after calculus. He strips that process down a lot, but it's still a decent "getting the feet wet" intro to proofs.You'll definitely want to get the solution manual to go with this book, math major or not. Sullivan has a habit of skipping over steps/ideas that make the concepts make more sense, and the solution manual tends to address those omissions.Overall, I'm very pleased with this update. It addresses a lot of the nits I picked with the ninth edition, which was such a terrible textbook that it scared me away from taking classes that used it. Now I'm confident I can not only grasp the material in this book, but that I'll succeed with it, too.

I used this book for my Fall 2015 class. It came with the access card needed for class. The book was just and updated version of previous versions with some math problems changed and format changes. I still had to use youtube and other resources to help me solve problems the even problems that did not have example of how to solve in the textbook.

Was used, so I was expecting some damage, but it was more than I thought. Still not bad but it got annoying sometimes because the pages were messed up.

Loved the rental service. Great plan and reasonable pricing - now if the daughter had just used it and passed. Oh well - will rent it again soon I am sure.