Using & Understanding Mathematics: A Quantitative Reasoning Approach, 9th edition

Published by Pearson (April 15, 2026) © 2027

  • Jeffrey O. Bennett University of Colorado at Boulder
  • William L. Briggs University of Colorado Denver
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Title overview

Using & Understanding Mathematics: A Quantitative Reasoning Approach prepares you for the math you'll encounter in future courses, your career, and everyday life. The authors place math into recognizable contexts like digital music, student loans, and politics, encouraging you to develop the skills needed to think critically about quantitative issues in our society. With its modular structure and consistent Brief Review throughout, it can be used by students with a wide range of math backgrounds.

The 9th Edition incorporates new and updated data throughout, along with many expanded and new examples. New Math for Life features tie concepts directly to real-world issues and topics; a new emphasis on AI asks you to make use of AI tools and to evaluate their reliability.

Table of contents

(Note: Each chapter concludes with Summary and Review Questions.)

I. LOGIC AND PROBLEM SOLVING

  • 0. Getting Started: Literacy for the Modern World
    • Math for Life: Job Satisfaction
    • What Is Quantitative Reasoning?
    • Quantitative Reasoning and Culture
    • Quantitative Reasoning in the Work Force
    • Misconceptions About Mathematics
    • What Is Mathematics?
    • How to Succeed in Mathematics
  • 1. Thinking Critically
    • Math for Life: Math and Public Health
    • Living in the Media Age
    • In Your World: Fact Checking on the Web
    • Propositions and Truth Values
    • Sets and Venn Diagrams
    • Brief Review: Sets of Numbers
    • Analyzing Arguments
    • Mathematical Insight: Deductive Proof of the Pythagorean Theorem
    • Critical Thinking in Everyday Life
    • In Your World: Beware of “Up to” Deals
  • 2. Approaches to Problem Solving
    • Math for Life: Global Melting
    • Understand, Solve, and Explain
    • Brief Review: Common Fractions
    • Brief Review: Decimal Fractions
    • Using Technology: Currency Conversions
    • In Your World: Changing Money in Foreign Countries
    • Extending Unit Analysis
    • Brief Review: Powers of 10
    • In Your World: Gems and Gold Jewelry
    • Using Technology: Metric Conversions
    • In Your World: Save Money and Save the Earth
    • Problem-Solving Hints
    • Mathematical Insight: Zeno’s Paradox

II. QUANTITATIVE INFORMATION IN EVERYDAY LIFE

  • 3. Numbers in the Real World
    • Math for Life: Big Numbers
    • Uses and Abuses of Percentages
    • Brief Review: Percentages
    • Brief Review: What Is a Ratio?
    • Putting Numbers in Perspective
    • Brief Review: Working with Scientific Notation
    • Using Technology: Scientific Notation
    • Dealing with Uncertainty
    • Brief Review: Rounding
    • Using Technology: Rounding in Excel
    • Index Numbers: The CPI and Beyond
    • In Your World: The Chained CPI, Taxes, and Social Security
    • Numerical Surprises: Polygraphs, Mammograms, and More
  • 4. Managing Money
    • Math for Life: Student Loans
    • Taking Control of Your Finances
    • The Power of Compounding
    • Brief Review: Powers and Roots
    • Using Technology: Powers
    • Using Technology: The Compound Interest Formula
    • Using Technology: The Compound Interest Formula for Interest Paid More Than Once a Year
    • Using Technology: APY in Excel
    • Brief Review: Four Basic Rules of Algebra
    • Using Technology: Powers of e
    • In Your World: Effects of Low Interest Rates
    • Savings Plans and Investments
    • Mathematical Insight: Derivation of the Savings Plan Formula
    • Using Technology: The Savings Plan Formula
    • Using Technology: Fractional Powers (Roots)
    • In Your World: Building a Portfolio
    • Loan Payments, Credit Cards, and Mortgages
    • Using Technology: The Loan Payment Formula (Installment Loans)
    • Mathematical Insight: Derivation of the Loan Payment Formula
    • Using Technology: Principal and Interest Portions of Loan Payments
    • In Your World: Avoiding Credit Card Trouble
    • In Your World: Choosing or Refinancing a Loan
    • Personal Income Taxes
    • Understanding the Federal Budget

III. STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY

  • 5. Statistical Reasoning
    • Math for Life: Cellphones and Driving
    • Fundamentals of Statistics
    • Using Technology: Random Numbers
    • Should You Believe a Statistical Study?
    • In Your World: The Gun Debate: Defensive Gun Use
    • Statistical Tables and Graphs
    • Using Technology: Frequency Tables in Spreadsheets
    • Using Technology: Bar Graphs and Pie Charts
    • Using Technology: Line Charts
    • Graphics in the Media
    • Using Technology: Graphs with Multiple Data Sets
    • Correlation and Causality
    • Using Technology: Scatterplots
  • 6. Putting Statistics to Work
    • Math for Life: Are We Smarter Than Our Parents?
    • Characterizing Data
    • Using Technology: Mean, Median, and Mode
    • Measures of Variation
    • Using Technology: Calculating the Standard Deviation
    • The Normal Distribution
    • Using Technology: Standard Scores and Percentiles
    • Statistical Inference
  • 7. Probability: Living With the Odds
    • Math for Life: Lotteries
    • Fundamentals of Probability
    • Combining Probabilities
    • The Law of Large Numbers
    • Assessing Risk
    • In Your World: Terrorism, Risk, and Human Psychology
    • Counting and Probability
    • Using Technology: Factorials
    • Brief Review: Factorials
    • Using Technology: Permutations
    • Using Technology: Combinations

IV. MODELING

  • 8. Probability: Exponential Astonishment
    • Math for Life: Towers of Hanoi
    • Growth: Linear versus Exponential
    • Doubling Time and Half-Life
    • Brief Review: Logarithms
    • Using Technology: Logarithms
    • Real Population Growth
    • In Your World: Choosing Our Fate
    • Logarithmic Scales: Earthquakes, Sounds, and Acids
    • In Your World: Ocean Acidification
  • 9. Modeling Our World
    • Math for Life: Climate Modeling
    • Functions: The Building Blocks of Mathematical Models
    • Brief Review: The Coordinate Plane
    • Linear Modeling
    • Using Technology: Graphing Functions
    • In Your World: Algebra’s Origins in Baghdad
    • Exponential Modeling
    • Brief Review: Algebra with Logarithms
    • In Your World: Changing Rates of Change
  • 10. Modeling with Geometry
    • Math for Life: Eyes in the Sky
    • Fundamentals of Geometry
    • Mathematical Insight: Archimedes and Pi
    • In Your World: Plato, Geometry, and Atlantis
    • Problem Solving with Geometry
    • Fractal Geometry

V. FURTHER APPLICATIONS

  • 11. Mathematics and the Arts
    • Math for Life: Digital Music Files
    • Mathematics and Music
    • In Your World: Music Just for You
    • Perspective and Symmetry
    • Proportion and the Golden Ratio
  • 12. Mathematics and the Arts
    • Math for Life: Partisan Redistricting
    • Voting: Does the Majority Always Rule?
    • In Your World: Counting Votes - Not as Easy as It Sounds
    • Theory of Voting
    • In Your World: The Electoral College and the Presidency
    • Apportionment: The House of Representatives and Beyond
    • Dividing the Political Pie
  • 13. Mathematics and Business (ONLINE ONLY)
    • Math for Life: Remodeling a House
    • Network Analysis
    • The Traveling Salesperson Problem
    • In Your World: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Network Problems
    • Scheduling Problems
  • Answers to Quick Quizzes Odd-Numbered Exercises, and Chapter Review Questions
  • Credits
  • Index
  • Index of Applications

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