Introduction -- PART I: HOMING IN ON BASIC SOLUTIONS: Going beyond beginning algebra -- Toeing the straight line: linear equations -- Cracking quadratic equations -- Rooting out the rational, radical, and negative -- Graphing your way to the good life -- PART II: FACING OFF WITH FUNCTIONS: Formulating function facts -- Sketching and interpreting quadratic equations -- Staying ahead of the curves: polynomials -- Relying on reason: rational functions -- Exposing exponential and logarithmic functions -- PART III: CONQUERING CONICS AND SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS: Cutting up conic sections -- Solving systems of linear equations -- Solving systems of nonlinear equations and inequalities -- PART IV: SHIFTING INTO HIGH GEAR WITH ADVANCED CONCEPTS: Simplifying complex numbers in a complex world -- Making moves with matrices -- Making a list: sequences and series -- Everything you wanted to know about sets -- PART V: THE PART OF TENS: Ten multiplication tricks -- Ten special types of numbers.