This book treats functions as the object of study while focusing on important mathematical concepts. In contrast to the organization of most precalculus texts, we introduce students to linear, exponential, logarithmic, periodic, and power functions in the second chapter and develop the properties of these functions throughout the remainder of the text as mathematical concepts are explored. This allows us to emphasize the connections between mathematical ideas as we further the student's knowledge about a particular type of function.

Building the study of functions throughout the book, rather than isolating the study of a single type of function to one or two chapters, leads to a natural review of the properties of various functions throughout the text. This organization also addresses a common student misconception that mathematics consists of unrelated bits of information which can be forgotten once a particular topic is finished.

Another common student misconception is that mathematics is useless and dry. To address this, we have made the study of applications an integral part of our text. Applications occur in the readings in three different ways: the focus of a section, an example used to illustrate a concept, and the motivation for a mathematical concept. Applications also occur in homework exercises, investigations, and projects. Every application has been researched and care has been taken to insure that the data given is accurate.

Our underlying premise is that students learn best when they are engaged with the material. We have designed this text so that students will read, write, discuss, and explore mathematical concepts. It is written in a conversational format with reading questions interspersed throughout each section. Each homework set includes investigations where students are asked to extend and apply the material presented in that section. Each chapter includes a project, which is a larger scale exploration or application. All of these features invite students to be actively engaged in their study of precalculus.

This textbook was designed for a one­semester college course in precalculus (although we believe that it is equally well suited for a one­year high school precalculus course). It incorporates writing, projects, multiple representations of mathematical concepts, and the use of technology in the form of graphing calculators. This makes it an excellent preparation for a modern calculus course.

This text is also well suited for students going on to a traditional calculus course as well as various science courses. Throughout the text we have tried to illustrate how mathematicians think by asking the kinds of questions that are interesting to mathematicians. We feel that this text meets the recommendations of the Mathematical Association of America, and reflects the spirit of the standards set by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the American Mathematical Association of Two­Year Colleges.