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Mathematics, a Human Endeavor: A Textbook for Those Who Think They Don't Like the Subject

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For instructors of liberal arts mathematics classes who focus on problem-solving, Harold Jacobs's remarkable textbook has long been the answer, helping teachers connect with of math-anxious students. Drawing on over thirty years of classroom experience, Jacobs shows students how to make observations, discover relationships, and solve problems in the context of ordinary experience. (WorldCat)

Subjects:
• The path of billiard ball
• More billiard-ball mathematics
• Inductive reasoning: Finding and extending patterns
• The limitations of inductive reasoning
• Deductive reasoning: Mathematical proof
• Number tricks and deductive reasoning
• Arithmetic sequences: Growth at a constant rate
• Geometric sequences: Growth at an increasing rate
• The binary sequence
• The sequence of squares
• The sequence of cubes
• The Fibonacci sequence
• The idea of a function
• Descartes and the coordinate graph
• Graphing linear functions
• Functions with parabolic graphs
• More functions with curved graphs
• Interpolation and extrapolation: Guessing between and beyond
• Large numbers
• Scientific notation
• An introduction to logarithms
• Logarithms and scientific notation
• Computing with Logarithms
• Logarithmic scales
• Symmetry
• Regular polygons
• Mathematical mosaics
• Regular polyhedra: The platonic solids
• Semiregular polyhedra
• Pyramids and prisms
• The circle and the ellipse
• The parabola
• They hyperbola
• The sine curve
• Spirals
• The cycloid
• The fundamental counting principle
• Permutations
• More on permutations
• Combinations
• Probability:The measure of chance
• Binomial probability
• Pascal's triangle
• Dice games and probability
• Independent and dependent events
• The birthday problem: Complementary events
• Organizing data: Frequency distributions
• The breaking of ciphers and codes: An application of statistics
• Measures of location
• Measures of variability
• Displaying data: Statistical graphs
• Collecting data: Sampling
• The mathematics of distortion
• The seven bridges of Königsberg: An introduction to networks
• Euler paths
• Trees
• The Möbius strip and other surfaces.
(WorldCat)

649 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

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About the author

Harold R. Jacobs

35 books4 followers

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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Profile Image for Zoe.
51 reviews1 follower
January 14, 2010
I love this math text! It happens to be one of my favorite books of all time. You know, I didn't even like mathematics before I started teaching. Funny then, that after five years of doing so I would find a text book that intrigued me so much that it would become a highly prized object.
Profile Image for Rachel.
39 reviews10 followers
July 6, 2009
There is more to mathematics than computational techniques! Jacobs' clear and entertaining text (which is full of cartoons, pictures, and anecdotes) inspires a love of math. Each chapter invites the reader to discover for himself the patterns and structure of a particular topic. This book helped to convert me into someone who appreciated mathematics.
Profile Image for J. Boo.
767 reviews28 followers
Want to read
April 9, 2019
Random people on the internet say this is good for a student who needs a bit of a break from more hardcore mathematics. (Specifically suggested in a thread about what to do with someone who completed pre-algebra.)

Table of contents here: https://forums.welltrainedmind.com/to...
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