Advanced Math for Young Students: A First Course in Algebra

Advanced Math for Young Students is a clear, thought-provoking introduction to algebra, written for middle school and high school students. Emphasizing functions, graphs and equations, it demonstrates how the language of algebra is used, drawing examples from physics, chemistry and economics.

This is not a traditional "Algebra 1" book. It is designed to be used before (or during) your first algebra class, though it also introduces some concepts from Algebra 2 and Pre-calculus.

It is organized in three units:

Unit 1 introduces functions and their charts, graphs and equations. You will also learn about composition of functions and inverse functions.

Unit 2 shows how algebra is used to solve puzzles involving a "mystery number." Here, you learn to write and solve equations to find the answers to those dreaded "word problems." We will investigate equations with two variables, linear functions, and systems of equations, applying these to word problems as well.

Unit 3 is about relationships. We start with direct proportions and continue onward, culminating with an examination of exponential functions and logarithms. Throughout this unit, the emphasis is on how these relationships are expressed algebraically and graphically and how they are actually applied. While some of the relationships will be demonstrated with examples from physics and chemistry, no prior knowledge of those topics is assumed. But you will certainly pick up a few ideas about those subjects as well.