MATHEMATICAL EXCURSIONS, Fourth Edition, teaches you that mathematics is a system of knowing and understanding our surroundings. For example, sending information across the Internet is better understood when one understands that prime numbers are connected to credit card transactions; that compound interest is connected to student loans; and that the perils of radioactive waste take on new meaning when one understands exponential functions are connected to the disasters at Fukushima, Japan. The efficiency of the flow of traffic through an intersection is more interesting after seeing the system of traffic lights represented in a mathematical form. These are just a few of the facets of mathematics you will explore with this text. MATHEMATICAL EXCURSIONS will expand the way you know, perceive, and comprehend the world around you. Enjoy the journey!

Richard Aufmann is the lead author of two best-selling DEVELOPMENTAL MATH series and a best-selling COLLEGE ALGEBRA AND TRIGONOMETRY series, as well as several derivative math texts. Mr. Aufmann taught math, computer science and physics at Palomar College in California, where he was on the faculty for 28 years. His textbooks are highly recognized and respected among college mathematics professors. Today, Mr. Aufmann's professional interests include quantitative literacy, the developmental math curriculum and the impact of technology on curriculum development. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of California, Irvine and a Master of Arts degree in Mathematics from California State University, Long Beach.