Math Smart II: Get a Grip on Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry (Smart Guides)

 (9 customer reviews)

I bought this book a few years ago, and I was like, wow! now I get to learn all about trigonometry and inequalities and polynomials! gee whiz! but reading it, I found that the explanations weren't deep enough to actually TEACH me the concepts, that there weren't enough excercizes for people new to the algebra, and it wasn't until I finished my Algebra 1 class last year that I could fully understand the topics covered in this book, because I had learned all of them during the year(i.e. polynomails, quadratic equation). Looking back at this book, I think, however, that it is a good review book, in part because its coverage of topics is so superficial. So, if you've seen the stuff in this book before (algebraic expressions, equations, exponents, roots, logarithms, polynomails, inequalities, permutations, combinations, binomial therom, plane,solid and analytic geometry, parabolas, conics, trigonometry of degrees, radians) then you'll understand them, but if you haven't, go buy another...Read more

I decided to review my math with the intent of making a second assault on The Calculus. I started out with Barbara Lee Bleau's nearly perfect "Forgotten Algebra," which took me up along a very smooth gradient. After thereby acclimating myself to mathematical thinking, I was able to use Math Smart to fill in some blanks. Lerner's discussion of plane and solid geometry was fast and effective, saving me the long reviews required by other books. Her coverage of trigonometry in degrees is probably the highlight of the book, and her explanation of radians made me really GET it for the first time. This book might be a little too rapid to stand alone, but as a supplement it saved me weeks or months.

I am willing to give this book three stars because it provides a good review of high school math. I bought it as a warm up for future studies on Calculus and for preparation for the GRE.However, there are several wrong anwers that I have seen in the book. I am grateful to the Princeton Review for confirming these mistakes by e-mail for me.For those of you who decide to get the book, here they are:1) page 26, #7, x= -10/3 (not 10/3)2) page 28, #5, should be -3x squared -2x +1 over 2x squared -2x3) page 120, exercise 8.4, #1, should be 64 (not 32)Part of the problem here may be the fact that the author, Marcia Lerner, only has a Bachelor's degree. The publisher, Princeton Review, should consider hiring people with at least Master's degrees in the future. "Math Smart II" is marginally acceptable as a learning tool.I did find that it was more helpful in studying for the GRE math section than the Princeton Review's "Cracking the GRE...Read more