This easy-to-use guide identifies and addresses the areas where most students need help with basic mathematical problems that occur in everyday life and studies and provides straightforward, practical tips, exercises and solutions that will enable you to assess and then improve your performance.

Table of Contents

Preface and acknowledgements How to use this book Times tables Arithmetic 1 - Basic Arithmetic and the BODMAS rule. Getting used to basic arithmetic and simple calculations, and making sure you perform them correctly 2 - Negative numbers. Understanding negative numbers and dealing with them accurately. 3 Fractions. Understanding what fractions mean and being able to manipulate them correctly. 4 Percentages, ratios and proportions. Using percentages and ratios to describe and compare values. 5 Decimals, decimal places and significant figures. Using decimal numbers and rounding numbers to a certain number of decimal places. 6 Scientific notation. Representing very small and very large numbers using scientific notation 7 - Indices. Writing repeated multiplications easily, roots and the laws of powers. Algebra 8 An introduction to algebra. Using symbols to represent numbers and an introduction to algebra 9 Brackets in algebra. Using brackets in algebraic expressions 10 Solving linear equations. Solving simple equations using algebra. 11 - Transposition and algebraic fractions. Rearranging expressions using basic rules of algebra. 12 - Simultaneous equations. Solving two equations at the same time. Data 13 Presentation of data. Using various types of graphs and charts to illustrate data visually. 14 Measures of location and dispersion. Working out averages and a measure of the spread of a set of data. 15 - Straight Lines. Linear data and calculating the equation of a straight line. 16 Introduction to probability. Working out probabilities - the chances of something happening Other topics 17 Areas and volumes. Calculating the areas and volumes of basic shapes 18 Logarithms. Calculating logarithms - the opposite of powers 19 Quadratic equations. Solving equations involving powers of x. 20 Trigonometry. Calculations with triangles, including angles and trigonometric functions. 21 Inequalities and basic logic. Using mathematical symbols to represent inequalities and basic logical concepts Summary Further work on our website Glossary Index

Author Biography

Steve Lakin is the Foundation Year Tutor in Mathematics and module leader for the foundation level basic mathematics module at the University of Glamorgan. He has experience of teaching mathematical techniques to computer scientists, and has worked at a maths drop-in centre, helping students from all courses with a variety of basic mathematical problems. Through this experience, he has gained a reputation for being able to explain mathematical concepts to even the most maths-terrified of students