Formulas, they seem to be the bane of every beginning mathematics student who has yet to realize that formulas are about structure and relationship-and not about memorization. Granted, formulas have to be memorized; for, it is partly through memorization that we eventually become 'unconsciously competent'. This means we are a true master of our skill, practicing it in an almost effortless, automatic sense. In mathematics, this means we have mastered the underlying algebraic language to the same degree that we have mastered our native tongue. Knowing formulas and understanding the reasoning behind them propels one towards the road to mathematical mastery, so essential in our modern high-tech society. This book consists of three major sections. Section I-Formulas-contains most of the formulas that you would expect to encounter during the first year of college (and perhaps the second) regardless of major. In addition, there are formulas rarely seen in such compilations, included as a mathematical treat for the inquisitive. Section II-Tables-includes both 'pure math' tables and physical-science tables, useful in a variety of disciples ranging from physics to nursing. curiosity and fun. Fun in discovery definitely should be a part of our learning experience in mathematics. Section III-Puzzles and Curios-is all fun Here, I have pulled together a variety of mathematical wonders and puzzles collected over three decades of teaching.

John C. Sparks is a senior staff engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio and has taught mathematics at Sinclair Community College for over twenty years. In late 2003, Sparks received the Ohio Association of Two-Year Colleges' 2002-2003 Adjunct Teacher of the Year award. He and his wife, Carolyn (photo), have celebrated thirty-five years of marriage and have two sons, Robert and Curtis, who are both married. Sparks is a lifelong resident of Xenia, Ohio. Sparks has written and published two volumes of poetry, Rhyme for All Seasons, and Mixed Images, and a three-hundred and thirty-page mathematics textbook, Calculus Without Limits. His current work, Gold, Hay and Stubble: One Journeyman's Poetic Diary is the culmination of six years of poetry work and contains one-hundred and-five of his most favorite pieces.

John C. Sparks is a senior staff engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio with approximately thirty-one years of engineering and management experience. In addition to his Air Force career, Sparks has taught mathematics at Sinclair Community College for over twenty years. In late 2003, Sparks received the Ohio Association of Two-Year Colleges' 2002-2003 Adjunct Teacher of the Year award. He and his wife, Carolyn (photo), have celebrated thirty-five years of marriage and have two sons, Robert and Curtis, who are both married. Sparks is a lifelong resident of Xenia, Ohio. Sparks has written and published three volumes of poetry, Rhyme for All Seasons, Mixed Images, and Gold, Hay and Stubble: One Journeyman's Poetic Diary. Calculus without Limits is his first full-length mathematics work; and, with its publication, a thirty-year old dream is realized.