With all the support of the renowned Aufmann approach, this popular combination text helps your students prepare to master college algebra and to apply algebra in the real world. New! Bulleted annotations have been added to the solution steps of Examples and to the You Try It solutions in the appendix, further enhancing the Aufmann Interactive Method. New! Examples have been clearly labeled How To, allowing students to more easily refer back to solution steps when completing corresponding exercises. Updated! The Chapter Summary has been reformatted to include an example column, offering students the additional support of an algebraic representation of concepts, rules and definitions. Updated! In response to instructor feedback, the number of Chapter Review Exercises and Cumulative Review Exercises has increased. Updated! More operation application problems integrated into the Applying the Concepts exercises encourage students to judge which operation (adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing) is needed to solve a word problem. New! Integrating Technology (formerly Calculator Notes) margin notes provide suggestions for using a calculator in certain situations. For added support and quick reference, a scientific calculator screen is displayed on the inside back cover of the text. New! Objective-based Worksheets accompany every section in the book for extra classroom practice or homework. These worksheets are found on the ClassPrep CD and Online Teaching Center. Aufmann Interactive Method (AIM) encourages students to try the math as it is presented. Every section objective contains one or more sets of matched-pair examples. The first example is completely worked out; the second example, called 'You Try It,' is for the student to work. Complete worked-out solutions to these examples in an appendix enable students to check their solutions and obtain immediate reinforcement of the concept. Integrated, easy-to-navigate learning system organized by objectives guides students with a consistent, predictable framework. Each chapter opens with a list of learning objectives, which are woven throughout the text and integrated with the print and multimedia ancillaries. The AIM for Success Student Preface guides students in making the most of the text's features. Study Tip margin notes throughout the text refer students back to the Student Preface for advice. Prep Tests at the beginning of each chapter help students prepare for the upcoming material by testing them on prerequisite material learned in preceding chapters. The answers to these questions can be found in the Answer Appendix, along with a reference to the objective from which the question was taken. The Go Figure problem that follows the Prep Test is a challenge problem for interested students. Extensive use of applications that use real source data shows students the value of mathematics as a real-life tool. Focus on Problem Solving section at the end of each chapter introduces students to various problem-solving strategies. Students are encouraged to write their own strategies and draw diagrams in order to find solutions. Unique Verbal/Mathematical connection simultaneously introduces a verbal phrase with a mathematical operation, followed by exercises that require students to make a connection between a phrase and a mathematical process. Projects and Group Activities at the end of each chapter offer ideas for cooperative learning. Unique Instructor's Annotated Edition features a format rich with new instructor support materials, which are provided at point-of-use in the margins surrounding reduced student pages.