Analytic Geometry

The writer seems to understand the areas where students would have conceptual difficulties. For example, he states after a proof, you may not be comfortable with that proof because we used vectors. Lets show this again using elementary algebra. This allows the student to assure themselves that the proof is correct, and begin to be exposed to proofs using more unfamiliar methods such as with vectors. Soon they will find that their comfort zone widens, and they have more methods available to prove statements.I find that students are actually ready for the exercises at the end of each section after covering that section of material. In other math books it all too often occurs that the material is elementary and yet the questions are pitched at a much more advanced level. If students can NOT answer the questions at the end of a subsection, it is not well taught. This writer seems to want to actually prepare students, so that they are successful by the time they reach the questions. These questions also serve as a review of algebra and geometry.To read this book with understanding, students must have taken geometry. If this has not been done I suggest the geometry course available at [...] as well as a reputable geometry book such as that by Harold R. Jacobs. For an algebra background I suggest the math courses through [...] For this text, you will need a knowledge of vectors such as can be found in the thinkwell or other standard precal text.There is usually an attempt to cover the material in this book in Precalculus texts. Typically about 100 pages is allowed in a high school Precalculus text. This book allows over 400 pages. This gives room for more depth of coverage, more examples, and a bit slower progression. I would recommend this text strongly to bright Precalculus students wanting more challenge, as well as to students that just don't seem to be getting the concepts from the abridged version found in the one year high school or college Precalculus texts.There seems to be an unfortunate gap between the knowledge necessary to do well in college and what students have as the come in the door. If you look at the grade curve, most of our children are making C or WORSE in college mathematics and physics. Is it time we admitted that some of the concepts that we throw at children are given out without adequate practice? Analytic Geometry is an area where skill improves with practice, just as does throwing a baseball or playing a piece of music. If you are a student in a school system that firmly believes that students need no more math practice, consider independent study of this text over a summer term prior to calculus.

I was hesitant about buying this book because I had analytical geometry a long time ago, and I knew it was no longer taught as a separate subject. Considering those factors, the book is rather expensive. However, since the teaching of this material is now fractured into different courses, you will probably need books of trigonometry, algebra and physics (statics) to cover all of the material in this book. Even then, you normally won't go into the details and techniques that are used in this book, especially in the chapters on conics, rational and parametric equations. Calculators will graph conics and the variety of equations, but calculators are only a tool or "answer machine," they do not provide the person with the basic understanding or knowledge of the driving geometric parameters. Riddle's book is very thorough in setting up and solving the example problems and provides you with a variety of exercise problems. The middle part of the book covers translation and rotation of general equations. The later part of the book also covers surface area problems related to cylinders, spheres, and other geometries. Both answers and corresponding solution diagrams are provided in the, "Answers to Odd-Numbered Problems" section in the back of the book. Excellent book, so I'm not disappointed.

I think this book is great, it really goes straight to the point. The book skips elementary algebra, so if you aren't good at basic algebra, it is considered that you may learn the basic first. Overall great book, like it very much and learned alot from it.

The book I got smells like rotten milk, I never use it in class because of this

Good

Cheap book instead of buying a more expensive one.

love it

Got it for my son, got here on time, the day they said it was supposed to art. excellent packing

I received many used books described as "good" with a lot better status like this, described as "very good". Very disappointed with the fact to pay a lot for a poor condition used book.