Weight Loss Made a Bit Easier: Realistic and Practical Advice for Healthy Eating and Exercise
Available on Amazon.com in paperback/Kindle formats for $6.25/$2.99. Please click here for details.
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My new book,
America's (Math) Education Crisis: Why We Have It
and Why We Can('t) Fix It, is available for purchase on Amazon.com
for $8.95. The
Kindle edition is available for $2.99. A free Kindle app is available for the PC and iPhone. For the
convenience of my customers, DRM has been disabled. Please do not
abuse this by illegally copying or distributing the book. For more information
about the book, please visit
LarryZafran.com. You can also use the "Look Inside" and
"Search Inside" functionality on Amazon.
As a community service for those unable to purchase the book, it is available for free reading in its entirety on Google Books, but is not downloadable. If you are benefitting from the free version, please consider purchasing it on Amazon in Kindle or paperback format. Please consider posting a review of it on Amazon or elsewhere, or spreading the word about it to others who may benefit.
The Math Made a Bit Easier Book Series
The first five books in my self-published Math Made a Bit Easier book series are now available for purchase exclusively on Amazon.com. For more information, please see below or contact me with any questions about the books. You can use the "Look Inside" and "Search Inside" functionality on Amazon.
You can also read the books for free in their entirety via Google Books, but they are not downloadable. If you are benefitting from the free versions of the books, please consider purchasing them on Amazon, or writing reviews of them on Amazon, or at least spreading the word about the books to others who may benefit.
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Books in the Made Made a Bit Easier Series Now Available
Math Made a Bit Easier: Basic Math Explained in Plain English
This is the first book in the series, and should be your starting
point unless you are absolutely certain that you fully understand
all of the concepts presented. If you do not, later books
in the series will prove to be difficult and frustrating. The book
starts with a review of basic arithmetic, followed by basic
operations, negative numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, and
basic probability and statistics. This is the foundation of all
math. The space devoted to each topic is proportional to how
difficult most students find the topic, as well as how important the
topic is in preparation for later math studies. The material is
explained conversationally and “in plain English” as promised by the
book’s subtitle, without talking down to the reader, and without the
use of contrived examples or cartoonish illustrations.
The book concludes with a chapter on how to effectively study math and improve scores on exams. Like the rest of the book, the chapter takes a unique standpoint on the matter, and offers suggestions including how to get oneself into the proper mental and emotional mindset for being successful with math. Available exclusively on Amazon.com for $6.50. The book can be read for free in its entirety on Google Books via this link.
Math Made a Bit Easier Workbook: Practice Exercises, Self-Tests, and Review
A companion workbook of
practice exercises, quizzes, and concept summaries to accompany the
first book in the series (Basic Math Explained in
Plain English). Available exclusively on Amazon.com for $4.50.
The book can be read for free in its entirety on Google Books via
this link.
Math Made a Bit Easier Lesson Plans: A Guide
for Tutors, Parents, and Homeschoolers
A book of sixty lesson plans to accompany the
first book in the series (Basic Math Explained in
Plain English). Available exclusively on Amazon.com for $4.95.
The book can be read for free in its entirety on Google Books via
this link.
Basic Algebra and Geometry Made a Bit Easier: Concepts Explained in
Plain English
This is the fourth in the series and the second "main" book. It
covers basic algebra and geometry. The scope of this book should be
sufficient for the algebra and geometry components of exams such as
the GED, (P)SAT, and career-based exams. The book includes some
practice exercises and self-tests, as well as points for review.
Available exclusively on Amazon.com for $5.25. The book can be
read for free in its entirety on Google Books via
this link.
Basic Algebra and Geometry Made a Bit Easier Lesson Plans: A Guide
for Tutors, Parents, Homeschoolers
A book of fifty lesson plans to accompany the second
main book in the series (Basic Algebra and Geometry Made a Bit
Easier). Available exclusively on Amazon.com for $4.50. The
book can be read for free in its entirety on Google Books via
this link.
Upcoming Books in the Series and Off-Topic Books
Available Now: The Complete Music Practice Record Book: A Six-Month Log and Journal for Dedicated Students. Available exclusively on Amazon.com for $4.25.
Available Now: The Regiftable Gift Book: The Gift That Keeps on Regiving. Available exclusively on Amazon.com for $4.25.
April 2011: Anticipated release of an independent, self-published weight loss book and companion journal. It will be extremely practical, and very different than typical books on the matter. It is my hope that this will be the book that really gets through to people, and is not "just another weight loss book." The main book will be available for purchase exclusively on Amazon.com in paperback for $6.25, with a Kindle edition (no DRM) price of $2.99. It will be also available for free reading in its entirety on Google Books. The companion journal will be available in paperback format for $4.25. Details soon.
May 2011: A comprehensive journal and planner for homeschoolers. Details soon. Estimated price $5.75.
June 2011: A test prep review book covering basic math, algebra, and geometry, intended only for the purposes of review, and for students who have unfortunately left their studying for the last minute, and do not have the time to absorb the 450+ pages of material from the first two main books. Estimated price $4.95
July 2011: An 8"x10" book of worksheets aligned to the Basic Math books of the series, with license to freely reproduce and distribute for educational purposes. Estimated price $4.95
August 2011: An 8"x10" book of worksheets aligned to the Basic Algebra and Geometry books of the series, with license to freely reproduce and distribute for educational purposes. Estimated price $4.95
September 2011: A book focused specifically on fractions, decimals, and percents, all explained extremely slowly, targeted at parents, homeschoolers, and older students. Estimated price $5.95
October 2011: A book focused on how to teach math to young children, targeted at parents and homeschoolers. Estimated price $4.95
November 2011: The third main book in the series will cover more advanced topics in algebra and geometry. The scope of this book should be more than sufficient for the algebra and geometry components of exams such as the SAT and high school exit exams. It will also cover selected topics from the GRE and GMAT. Not every topic from the aforementioned exams will be covered. The omitted topics will include those which students typically have little difficulty with, as well as topics which are considered relatively minor. The material will be covered at a very fast pace, and will focus on the concepts themselves, as opposed to rote exercises. Estimated price $6.95
December 2011: A book of lesson plans for teachers, tutors, parents, and homeschoolers to accompany the third main book in the series (Topics in Algebra and Geometry). Estimated price $4.95
Early 2012: Future books on higher level math and/or exam-specific math TBD. The material covered in the three main books should be more than sufficient for most standardized exams, and in most cases even the material in just the first two main books should suffice unless you are pursuing additional math goals.
About the Author
He is a dedicated student of the piano, and the leader of a large and active group of board game players which focuses on abstract strategy games from Europe.
He presently lives in Cary, NC where he works as an independent math tutor, writer, and webmaster.
Ordering, Shipping, and Returns Information
All orders and returns are fully handled directly by Amazon.com. The books are part of Amazon's Prime program which means that Amazon Prime members can order the books with free two-day shipping, and non-members can get free economy shipping if ordered with $25 worth of eligible products. The books can be ordered standalone for Amazon's regular shipping rates.
Online Support for the Books
I provide full, free online support related to my books. Please contact me via the Ask a Math Question page if anything in the books is confusing for you, or if you would like additional information or help on a topic, or if you would like to check your understanding of a concept.
Errata for Math Made a Bit Easier
These errors are in the 1st ed. (with leaves on the cover), but have been fixed in the revised edition
On page 89, "2-to-the-power-of-4" is incorrectly evaluated as 8 due to an editing error. It is equal to 16, making the involved sum equal to 29 and not 21.
On page 214, the repeating decimal 0.357 incorrectly has a double bar over it. We always use a single bar over any repeating decimal digit(s).
Errata for Math Made a Bit Easier Workbook
These errors are in the 1st ed. (with leaves on the cover), but have been fixed in the revised edition
On page 107, question #57, change the rounding instructions from hundredths to ten thousandths.
On page 120, the answer to question #53 should include 38 in addition to 12. There are two modes.
On page 121, the answer to question #99 should have the 24 changed to 23.
These errors are in the 2nd ed.
On page 71, the answer to question #30 should be 0.64
Errata for Basic Algebra and Geometry Made a Bit Easier
This error is in the 1st ed. (with leaves on the cover), but has been fixed in the revised edition
On page 27, question #26, change the given value to 59.9953
Please contact me to
report any other errors found in any of my books. Anyone who finds and reports a major error
or typo will be offered a free copy of one of my books.
Information on Self-Publishing with CreateSpace
If you are interested in self-publishing a book with CreateSpace like I did, please view my notes on my very positive experience.