For freshman/sophomore, 2 semester/2-3 quarter courses covering finite mathematics and calculus for students in business, economics, social sciences, or life sciences departments. This mid-level text covers mathematics of finance, linear algebra, linear programming, probability, and descriptive statistics, with an emphasis on cross-discipline principles and practices. Student-friendly and accessible, it develops a thorough, functional understanding of mathematical concepts in preparation for their application in other areas. Coverage concentrates on developing concepts and ideas followed immediately by developing computational skills and problem solving.FEATURES Over 400 numbered worked examples, including many with lettered parts.The examples are annotated and the problem-solving steps are clearly identified. This gives students extra assistance in solving the problem.Think Boxes (dashed boxes) are used to enclose steps that are usually performed mentally (see section 1-1).A "Matched Problem" follows each example.This gives the student an opportunity to reinforce and test his/her understanding of the concept presented in the preceding example. Answers to these problems are located in the Answers Section, located at the end of the text.Over 5,600 carefully selected and graded examples are divided into A, B, and C levels of difficulty.The exercise sets contain application problems that are split into three different types: 1) Business and Economics; 2) Life Science; 3) Social Science. These different types cater to the diverse needs of the student.Large variety of up-to-date applications use simplified versions of real models.Illustrates the relevance of mathematics to the real world and gives students opportunities to create and interpret mathematical models.Explore-Discuss boxes are integrated in every section.Encourages students to think about a relationship or process before a result is stated, or investigate additional consequences of a development in the text, so that they can better participate in the learning process and discussion- both in and out of class.Chapter Review exercises and answers are included, as well as suggested group activities and key terms.Emphasis on the construction of mathematical models, especially in linear systems and linear programming, gives students a thorough introduction.Optional graphing utility examples and exercises are clearly identified by an icon.Provides a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and allows students to solve problems that cannot be solved by hand.Library of Elementary Functions provides optional material that can be covered in its entirety or referred to as needed.Encourages students to view mathematical ideas and processes graphically, numerically, and algebraically.Topic selection, coverage, and organization reflects the course outlines and catalogs of many major colleges and universities.Takes into account the way the course is typically taught. Gives students the essential mathematical skills needed to effectively pursue courses of study in business and economics.Optional regression analysis includes graphing calculator and spreadsheet output.Illustrates one of the basic tools of mathematical modeling with optional examples and exercises, so that students can relate the text topics to the real world.