Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) Prealgebra

AoPS Introduction Series

by Richard Rusczyk, David Patrick, Ravi Boppana

Prealgebra prepares students for the rigors of algebra, and also teaches students problem-solving techniques to prepare them for prestigious middle school math contests such as MATHCOUNTS, MOEMS, and the AMC 8. Topics covered in the book include the properties of arithmetic, exponents, primes and divisors, fractions, equations and inequalities, decimals, ratios and proportions, unit conversions and rates, percents, square roots, basic geometry (angles, perimeter, area, triangles, and quadrilaterals), statistics, counting and probability, and more! The text is structured to inspire the reader to explore and develop new ideas. Each section starts with problems, giving the student a chance to solve them without help before proceeding. The text then includes solutions to these problems, through which algebraic techniques are taught. Important facts and powerful problem solving approaches are highlighted throughout the text. In addition to the instructional material, the book contains well over 1000 problems. The solutions manual (sold separately) contains full solutions to all of the problems, not just answers. This book can serve as a complete Prealgebra course. This text is supplemented by free videos and a free learning system at the publisher's website.

Genres: Mathematics, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Academic

608 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2011

About the author

Richard Rusczyk is one of the co-authors of the Art of Problem Solving textbooks, and author of Art of Problem Solving's Introduction to Algebra and Introduction to Geometry textbooks (Intermediate Algebra due to be published in early 2008). He is also one of the co-creators of the Mandelbrot Competition, and the Director of the USA Mathematical Talent Search. He was a participant in National MATHCOUNTS, a participant in the Math Olympiad Summer Program 1987, 1988 and 1989, the only perfect scorer on the 1989 AIME, and a USA Mathematical Olympiad winner (1989). He graduated first in his major, top 5 in his class, with a BSE from Princeton University in 1993. Richard helped inaugurate ESPN's SportsFigures program, and worked as a bond trader for D.E. Shaw & Company for four years. AoPS marks Richard's return to his vocation - educating motivated students.

Reviews

[Rosie Gearhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep, thorough, challenging Prealgebra book. Beast Academy prepared us well for it. I wish it weren’t quite so wordy. The content is good enough to make up for it, though, plus there is just nothing else like this out there if you want a deep understanding of the concepts. The videos, Alcumus and MathCounts Trainer are a big plus, too!

[Anandosiddiquee · Rating 3 out of 5]

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

[Alice Jang · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is super great as a base for algebra! it not only explains topics in a comprehensive way but the exercises are not just "memorize and apply to the same problem" 5,000 times; they actually require deep thinking

if you want to create a good math foundation for competition math i would highly recommend :)

[Hussein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with advanced problems. Highly recommend for advanced students.

[Lucas Bomfim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prealgebra, but as hard as some Calculus textbooks.

[Michael Skyba · Rating 5 out of 5]

The content is grade ~3 level (e.g. linear equations, proportion, pythagorean theoreom) but the depth is far greater than the standard US/CA public school curriculum. You are given a good understanding of the underlying principles of the "rules" and are able to apply them to future, higher-level concepts. If you find the math classes at school disappointingly unchallenging, I would highly recommend it, as well as all of the later AoPS textbooks.