This no-nonsense guide provides students and self-learners with a clear and readable study of algebra's most important ideas. Tim Hill's distraction-free approach combines decades of tutoring experience with the proven methods of his Russian math teachers. The result: learn in a few weeks what conventional schools stretch into months. Teaches general principles that can be applied to a wide variety of problems. Avoids the mindless and excessive routine computations that characterize conventional textbooks. Treats algebra as a logically coherent discipline, not as a disjointed collection of techniques. Restores proofs to their proper place to remove doubt, convey insight, and encourage precise logical thinking. Omits digressions, excessive formalities, and repetitive exercises. Covers all the algebra needed to take a calculus course. Includes problems (with all solutions) that extend your knowledge rather than merely reinforce it. Contents1. A Few Basics2. Exponents3. Polynomials4. Factoring5. Linear & Quadratic Equations6. Inequalities & Absolute Values7. Coordinates in a Plane8. Functions & Graphs9. Straight Lines10. Circles11. Parabolas12. Types of Functions13. Logarithms14. Dividing Polynomials15. Systems of Linear Equations16. Geometric Progressions & Series17. Arithmetic Progressions18. Permutation & Combinations19. The Binomial Theorem20. Mathematical Induction21. SolutionsAbout the AuthorTim Hill is a statistician living in Boulder, Colorado. He holds degrees in mathematics and statistics from Stanford University and the University of Colorado. Tim has written self-teaching guides for Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Precalculus, Advanced Precalculus, Permutations & Combinations, Mathematics of Money, and Excel Pivot Tables. When he's not crunching numbers, Tim climbs rocks, hikes canyons, and avoids malls.