Technical Math For Dummies

Technical Math For Dummies is your one-stop, hands-on guide to acing the math courses you’ll encounter as you work toward getting your degree, certifacation, or license in the skilled trades. You’ll get easy-to-follow, plain-English guidance on mathematical formulas and methods that professionals use every day in the automotive, health, construction, licensed trades, maintenance, and other trades. You’ll learn how to apply concepts of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry and their formulas related to occupational areas of study. Plus, you’ll find out how to perform basic arithmetic operations and solve word problems as they’re applied to specific trades. * Maps to a course commonly required by vocational schools, community and technical college, or for certification in the skilled trades * Covers the basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry * Helps professionals keep pace with job demands Whether you’re a student currently enrolled in a program or a professional who is already in the work force, Technical Math For Dummies gives you everything you need to improve your math skills and get ahead of the pack. Technical Math For Dummies About the Authors Dedications Authors’ Acknowledgments Contents at a Glance Table of Contents Introduction About This Book Conventions Used in This Book What You’re Not to Read Foolish Assumptions How This Book Is Organized Icons Used in This Book Where to Go from Here Part I: Basic Math, Basic Tools Chapter 1: Math that Works as Hard as You Do Discovering the Benefits of a Technical Math Book The Basics Are Basically Basic Meeting Measurement and Conversions and Studying Story Problem Strategies Using Workhorse Math Building Your Knowledge of the Branches of Math Life Math Isn’t Classroom Math Chapter 2: Discovering Technical Math and the Tools of the Trades Busting Myths about Math Remember: Somebody Else Already Did the Hard Work The Trades, They Are A-Changing Math Devices That Can Help You Do Your Job Chapter 3: Zero to One and Beyond Looking at the Numbers that Count: Natural Numbers Going Backward: Negative Numbers Getting Between the Integers: Fractions, Decimals, and More Taking a Look at the Lesser-Known Numbers Handling Numerical Story Problems Chapter 4: Easy Come, Easy Go: Addition and Subtraction Making Everything Add Up Subtraction: Just Another Kind of Addition Example: Flour Power Example: Sheep on Trucking Chapter 5: Multiplication and Division: Everybody Needs Them Go Forth and Multiply! Doing Simple Multiplication Like Your Grandfather Did It Easy Street: Multiplying by 0, 1, and 10 Divide and Conquer Example: In the Machine Shop Chapter 6: Measurement and Conversion Main (And Not So Main) Systems of Measurement Converting Length, Weight, and Volume Example: Don’t Get Bored by Board Feet Example: Getting the Dosage Right Chapter 7: Slaying the Story Problem Dragon Removing the Mystery from Story Problems The Step-by-Step Story Problem Solution Example: Furring Strips Example: And Now, from the Banks of the Nile Part II: Making Non-Basic Math Simple and Easy Chapter 8: Fun with Fractions Meeting the Numerator and Denominator: Best Friends Forever Tackling the Different Types of Fractions Performing Math Operations with Fractions Example: Dividing and Selling a Cheesecake Example: Cutting Fire Stops for Framing Carpentry Chapter 9: Decimals: They Have Their Place Diving into Decimal Basics The Four Ops: Working with Decimals in Four Math Operations Decimal Conversion Round, Round, Get Around, I Get Around Making Change and Charging Sales Tax Example: A Journey to Office Supply Heaven Chapter 10: Playing with Percentages Pinpointing Percentages: Half a Glass Is Still 50 Percent Full Percentages Are Good Converts Calculating Percentage Increases and Decreases Dividing a Pie Using Percentages Example: The World of Pralines Example: Oily to Bed and Oily to Rise Chapter 11: Tackling Exponents and Square Roots Exponentiation: The Power of Powers Getting Back to Your (Square) Roots Example: Finding the Bytes On a Disk Part III: Basic Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry Chapter 12: Algebra and the Mystery of X Variables: Letters Represent Numbers, but the Math Is the Same Variable Relationships: X and Her Friends Math Operations with Variables Example: How Many Oranges Are in that Orange Juice? Example: Medications In the Pillbox Chapter 13: Formulas (Secret and Otherwise) Following the Formula for Building a Formula Working from a Formula to a Solution Calculating Speed, Time, and Distance: Three Results from One Formula Example: Cement Masonry — Pouring City Sidewalks Example: Lunch Time — Buying Burgers and Fries Chapter 14: Quick-and-Easy Geometry: The Compressed Version Looking at Geometry’s Basic Parts Examining Simple Geometric Shapes Learn It Once and Forget It: The Pythagorean Theorem Example: Don’t Fence Me In Example: The Pen Is Mightier Than the Paddock Chapter 15: Calculating Areas, Perimeters, and Volumes Area: All That Space in the Middle Perimeters: Along the Edges Volume: The Third Dimension Example: Bore and Stroke for the Auto Guy Example: Yard Area, the Landscaper’s Nightmare Chapter 16: Trigonometry, the “Mystery Math” Handling Triangles: More Angles than a Cornfield Maze By Their Sines Shall Ye Know Them: Using Trigonometric Functions Example: Surveying a River Example: Locating a Wildfire Part IV: Math for the Business of Your Work Chapter 17: Graphs Are Novel and Charts Are Off the Chart Defining Charts and Graphs and Their Advantages Paying Tables Their Proper Respect Introducing the Three Most Important Types of Charts Reading Charts and Graphs (And Recognizing a Bad One) Making Charts and Graphs Example: Tracking Weight and Height in a Pediatric Practice Example: Cost of Materials in Residential Construction Chapter 18: Hold on a Second: Time Math Dividing Time into Hours, Minutes, and Seconds There’s a Time for Us, Somewhere a Time for Us: Time Notation Systems Converting Time Time Math: Calculating Time Example: The Timesheet for All Trades Example: Microwave Magic Chapter 19: Math for Computer Techs and Users Try a Bit of This Byte: Understanding Basic Computer Terms The Sum of the (Computer) Parts, and the Numbers Involved Example: Total Capacity of a Mass Storage System Part V: The Part of Tens Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Solving Any Math Problem Figure Out Exactly What the Problem Asks For List the Facts Convert Supplied Information into Needed Information Determine What Information You’re Missing Eliminate Excess Information Draw a Diagram Find or Develop a Formula Consult a Reference Pay Attention to Units Check Your Answer to See whether It’s Reasonable Chapter 21: Ten Formulas You’ll Use Most Often Area of a Square, Rectangle, or Triangle Area of a Circle Feet to Meters and Inches to Centimeters Miles to Kilometers and Kilometers to Miles Pounds to Kilograms and Ounces to Grams Gallons to Liters and Liters to Gallons Temperature Conversions Hours to Minutes and Minutes to Hours Distance, Time, and Speed Volts, Amps, and Watts Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Avoid Everyday Math Stress Get Help with Your Checkbook Use Grocery Shopping to Build Confidence Practice Reading Analog Clocks Play Games Memorize Math Signs, Symbols, and Formulas Make the Multiplication Table a Mantra Use Paper Maps and Practice Navigating Try to Estimate Distances Take Up Music Integrate Math with Nonmath Skills Glossary Index

Improve your technical math skills and get ahead of the pack

Are you a vocational student or a trade professional? This is your one-stop, hands-on guide to mastering the math you'll encounter on the job or while working toward your degree or certification. You'll get easy-to-follow, plain-English guidance on mathematical formulas and methods that professionals

• use every day in the automotive, health, and other trades.

• Sharpen your tools — refresh your basic math skills, like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, measurement and conversion, and learn how to tackle operations better and faster

• Start your engines — find out how to easily master algebra, geometry, and trigonometry concepts

• Take the mystery out of math — discover how to work withcommon formulas to solve problems with multiple steps, and break down pesky word problems

• Get down to business — take a look at life math (and learn how it's different from classroom math) to get a handle on how you'll apply your math skills in your real-world technical work

Open the book and find:

• Math myth busters

• An easy approach to fractions, percentages, exponents, and square roots

• Plain-English explanations of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry

• How to remove the mystery from word problems

• Tips on working with the essential tools and equipment that make arithmetic easy

• The formulas you need to know

• The math you'll encounter in your daily work, no matter your profession

Learn to:

• Understand mathematical concepts used in the skilled trades and by health care, culinary, and technical professionals

• Use fundamental formulas and methods to excel in the workplace, classrooms, and on job sites

• Apply algebra, geometry, and trigonometry to solve on-the-job problems

Technical Math For Dummies is your one-stop, hands-on guide to acing the math courses you'll encounter as you work toward getting your degree, certification, or license in the skilled trades. You'll get easy-to-follow, plain-English guidance on mathematical formulas and methods that professionals use every day in the automotive, health, construction, licensed trades, maintenance, and other trades. You'll learn how to apply concepts of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry and their formulas related to occupational areas of study. Plus, you'll find out how to perform basic arithmetic operations and solve word problems as they're applied to specific trades. Maps to a course commonly required by vocational schools, community and technical college, or for certification in the skilled trades Covers the basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry Helps professionals keep pace with job demands Whether you're a student currently enrolled in a program or a professional who is already in the work force, Technical Math For Dummies gives you everything you need to improve your math skills and get ahead of the pack. Basic math, basic tools. Math that works as hard as you do ; Discovering technical math and the tools of the trades ; Zero to one and beyond ; Easy come, easy go : addition and subtraction ; Multiplication and division : everybody needs them ; Measurement and conversion ; Slaying the story problem dragon Making non-basic math simple and easy. Fun with fractions ; Decimals : they have their place ; Playing with percentages ; Tackling exponents and square roots Basic algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Algebra and the mystery of X ; Formulas (secret and otherwise) ; Quick-and-easy geometry : the compressed version ; Calculating areas, perimeters, and volumes ; Trigonometry, the "mystery math" Math for the business of your work. Graphs are novel and charts are off the chart ; Hold on for a second : time math ; Math for computer techs and users The part of tens. Ten tips for solving any math problem ; Ten formulas you'll use most often ; Ten ways to avoid everyday math stress. Technical Math For Dummies is your one-stop, hands-on guide to acing the math courses youỚll encounter as you work toward getting your degree, certifacation, orỚlicense in the skilled trades. YouỚll get easy-to-follow, plain-English guidance on mathematical formulas and methods that professionals use every day in the automotive, health, construction, licensed trades, maintenance, and other trades. YouỚll learn how to apply concepts of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry and their formulas related to occupational areas of study. Plus, youỚll find out how to perform basic arithmetic.