Technical Mathematics, Sixth Edition

Preface

This textbook has been in continuous classroom use since 1980, and it was again time to polish and refine the material and fill in where needed. It was also an opportunity to carry out suggestions for improvements made by many reviewers and colleagues, as well as those that occurred to the authors while using the preceding edition. Much has been rewritten to be cleaner and clearer, and new features have been introduced. To reduce size and weight, some peripheral topics have been moved to the Web. One chapter previously moved to the Web, Introduction to Statistics and Probability, has been returned to the text at the request of reviewers. Also, Analytic Geometry, formerly in the calculus version only, is now in both versions.

Features of the Book

Each chapter begins with a listing of Chapter Objectives that state specifically what the student should be able to do upon completion of the chapter. Following that, we have tried to present the material as clearly as possible, preferring an intuitive approach rather than an overrigorous one. Realizing that a mathematics book is not easy reading, we have given information in small segments, included many illustrations, and have designed each page with care.

The numerous Examples form the backbone of the textbook, and we have added to their number. In many we have added intermediate steps to make them easier to follow. They are fully worked out and are chosen to help the student do the exercises. Examples have markers above and ...