Basic Maths Practice Problems For Dummies

Fun, friendly coaching and all the practice you need to tackle maths problems with confidence and ease In his popular Basic Maths For Dummies, professional maths tutor Colin Beveridge proved that he could turn anyone – even the most maths-phobic person – into a natural-born number cruncher. In this book he supplies more of his unique brand of maths-made- easy coaching, plus 2,000 practice problems to help you master what you learn. Whether you're prepping for a numeracy test or an employability exam, thinking of returning to school, or you'd just like to be one of those know-it-alls who says, 'Oh, that's easy!' about any maths problem that comes your way, this book is for you. Master basic arithmetic, fast – in no time, solving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems will seem as easy as tying your shoes Face down fractions – you'll never again feel shy around fractions, decimals, percentages and ratios Juggle weights and measures like a pro – whether it's a question of how much it weighs, how long (or far) it is, or how much it costs, you'll never be at a loss for an answer Make shapes your playthings – circles, squares, triangles and rectangles – you'll measure them, draw them and manipulate them with ease Open the book and find: 2,000 pencil-and-paper practice problems The keys to mastering addition, subtraction, multiplication and division The lowdown on fractions, decimals and percentages Basic geometry made easy How to handle weights, measures and money problems How to read charts, tables and graphs at a glance Learn to: Master maths with more than 2,000 practice questions Add, subtract, multiply and divide with confidence Work with decimals, fractions and percentages Size up weights and measures

Introduction  1 Part I: The Building Blocks of Maths  7 Chapter 1: Getting Started  9 Chapter 2: Introducing the Basics: Addition and Subtraction  17 Chapter 3: Equal Piles: Multiplying and Dividing  35 Chapter 4: Are We Nearly There Yet? Estimating and Rounding  53 Part II: Working with Parts of the Whole  67 Chapter 5: Facing Fractions without Fear  69 Chapter 6: What’s the Point? Dealing with Decimals  91 Chapter 7: It’s All Relative: Tackling Ratio and Proportion  107 Chapter 8: Working Out Perfect Percentages, 100% of the Time  127 Part III: Real–life Maths  147 Chapter 9: Clocking Time  149 Chapter 10: Counting the Cash: Dealing with Money  171 Chapter 11: Working with Weights 189 Chapter 12: Feeling the Heat: Getting to Grips with Temperature  203 Chapter 13: Sizing Up Shapes  219 Chapter 14: Sharpening Your Knowledge of Shapes 241 Part IV: Speaking Statistically  259 Chapter 15: Mining Data (No Hard Hat Required)  261 Chapter 16: Grappling with Graphs  289 Chapter 17: Average Joe: Sussing Out Statistics  299 Chapter 18: What Are the Chances? Playing with Probability  313 Part V: The Part of Tens  325 Chapter 19: Ten (Or So) Ways to Check Your Work  327 Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Remembering Your Number Facts  333 Chapter 21: Ten Top Tips for Getting Things Right  341 Index  347

Colin Beveridge holds a doctorate in mathematics from the University of St Andrews. He gave up a position as a researcher at Montana State University (working with NASA, among other projects) to become a full–time maths tutor, helping adults, GCSE, A–level and university students overcome their fear of maths – a position he finds far more enjoyable than real work.