Functions Modeling Change: A Preparation for Calculus

This is a new edition of the precalculus text developed by the Consortium based at Harvard University and funded by a National Science Foundation Grant. The text is thought-provoking for well-prepared students while still accessible to students with weaker backgrounds. It provides numerical and graphical approaches as well as algebraic approaches to give students another way of mastering the material. This approach encourages students to persist, thereby lowering failure rates. A large number of real-world examples and problems enable students to create mathematical models that will help them understand the world in which they live.

The focus is on those topics that are essential to the study of calculus and these topics are treated in depth. Linear, exponential, power, and periodic functions are introduced before polynomial and rational functions to take advantage of their use to model physical phenomena. Building on the Consortium’s Rule of Four: Each function is represented symbolically, numerically, graphically, and verbally where appropriate.