Basic Maths For Dummies

Make numbers dance to your tune in no time!

No head for numbers? Feel like maths isn′t your thing? Stop selling yourself short. Maths tutor Colin Beveridge believes that doing maths comes as naturally to humans as swimming does to fish, and he proves it in Basic Maths For Dummies. Encompassing the Adult Numeracy Core Curriculum, and using Colin′s proven formula for turning anybody even the most maths–phobic student into a natural number–cruncher, this book arms you with the confidence and skills you need to handle everyday maths challenges, return to school, pass skills and employability exams with flying colours, and help the kids with their homework.

Face down the competition overcome maths anxiety and set yourself up for success

Get a firm footing master the building blocks of maths, including addition, subtraction and long division

Take their measure size up weights, measures, rates, conversions and geometric shapes

Show ′em who′s boss give fractions no quarter, put decimals in their place and accept nothing less than 100% from percentages

Beat the odds discover how to decipher statistics, gauge odds and predict probabilities

Shoot from the hip learn simple tricks for making reliable estimates fast

Open the book and find:

Tricks for conquering maths anxiety

Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division made easy

Advice on money, weights, measures and shapes

How to read charts, tables and graphs at a glance

Guidance on conquering fractions, decimals and percentages

How to decipher statistics and probabilities

How to handle ballpark estimates and rough calculations in your head

Learn to:

Add, subtract, multiply and divide with confidence

Deal with decimals, tackle fractions and make sense of percentages

Size up weights, measures and shapes

Prepare effectively for maths tests

Introduction 1

Part I: Whole Numbers: The Building Blocks of Maths 7

Chapter 1: Getting Started 9

Chapter 2: Setting Yourself Up for Success 23

Chapter 3: It All Adds Up: Addition and Subtraction 35

Chapter 4: Equal Piles: Multiplying and Dividing 53

Chapter 5: Are We Nearly There Yet? Rounding and Estimating 75

Part II: Parts of the Whole 89

Chapter 6: Cake or Death: Fractions without Fear 91

Chapter 7: What′s the Point? Dealing with Decimals 107

Chapter 8: It′s All Relative: Ratios and Proportions 123

Chapter 9: Perfect Percentages, 100% of the Time 137

Part III: Sizing Up Weights, Shapes and Measures 151

Chapter 10: Clocking Time 153

Chapter 11: Working with Cold, Hard Cash 163

Chapter 12: Taking the Weight Off Your Shoulders 175

Chapter 13: Feeling the Heat 189

Chapter 14: That s About the Size of It 203

Chapter 15: Shaping Up 223

Part IV: Statistically Speaking 237

Chapter 16: Data Mining (No Hard Hat Required) 239

Chapter 17: Top of the Charts 255

Chapter 18: Average Joe 275

Chapter 19: What Are the Chances? 289

Part V: The Part of Tens 305

Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Prepare Yourself Before You Start Studying 307

Chapter 21: Ten Tricks for Remembering Your Number Facts 313

Chapter 22: Ten Pitfalls to Avoid 323

Chapter 23: Ten Ways to Make Any Exam Easier 327

Index 333

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′.