Fundamentals of Technical Mathematics by Sarhan M MusaMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
...The scope of content is ambitious in several ways for a textbook of this level. In bringing in much material not in comparable textbooks, this makes more glaring a key exception. There is nearly a complete absence of a set theoretic basis or motivation at any point. For instance, it seems an awkward wording is the result of this avoidance for the “Definition of the solution of equation” [sic]: “A solution of equation is the numbers that produce true statement for the equation [sic].” While this disappoints, this is one of the rare textbooks I see that, especially at this level, introduces the complex plane along with complex numbers. However, why this is done a chapter ahead of introducing the rectangular coordinate system based on the reals I find elusive. In that chapter on the Cartesian coordinate system, distance formula makes an appearance but a chapter ahead of the Pythagorean Theorem. In my experience, going the other way around succeeds better with students...
[Look for my entire review up at MAA Reviews.]
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