Amazon.com description: Product Description: Liberal Arts mathematics books often cover much more material than can be addressed in a one-semester course. Karl Smith has created a solution to this problem with his new book: THE NATURE OF PROBLEM SOLVING IN ALGEBRA. Loyal customers of Karl Smith's books laud his clear writing, coverage of historical topics, selection of topics, and emphasis on problem solving. Based on the successful NATURE OF MATHEMATICS text, this new book is designed to give you only the chapters and information you need, when you need it. Smith takes great care to provide insight into precisely what mathematics is--the nature of mathematics--what it can accomplish, and how it is pursued as a human enterprise. At the same time, Smith emphasizes Polya's problem-solving method throughout the text so students can take from the course an ability to estimate, calculate, and solve problems outside the classroom. Moreover, Smith's writing style gives students the confidence and ability to function mathematically in their everyday lives. This new text emphasizes problem solving and estimation, which, along with numerous in-text study aids, encourage students to understand the concepts as well as mastering techniques.