A student taking his first business mathematics course might wonder how necessary a textbook might be for such a course. After all, most students don’t know basic math when they get to college or business school? The truth is that when people talk about business math, they are talking about something very specific and in some ways unique to the basic math that is taught in elementary school.
Trading companies use trading mathematics to record and manage their trades. Most of these courses are typically taken by business students at the undergraduate level, although they can sometimes be offered at the high school level to those who do not intend to go to college or who wish to pursue an associate’s degree. Two of the most advanced courses of this type at the college level are Business Calculus and Statistics. At the high school level, the course might be aimed at the average person and called something like Consumer Math. In almost all of these courses there is an emphasis on practicality and the types of problems normally encountered in business and everyday life.
The type of practical topics that might be covered in these textbooks include calculating interest, managing checking accounts, pricing, payroll, and issues related to credit, interest, and mortgages. Such topics may require that the book include a review of some aspects of elementary arithmetic, elementary algebra, decimals, and other forms of mathematics useful in addressing a wide range of practical business problems. Formulas are also reviewed.
Assignments in business mathematics textbooks generally involve trying to solve real-life problems that a person might encounter in the business world, both as an owner and as a consumer. The textbook presents the kind of real-life scenarios that people in business and in their role as consumers regularly encounter. At the same time, the textbook tries to explain the various options that exist to solve these problems.
A good business mathematics textbook is essential for the successful understanding of the many forms of financial interaction discussed in these courses. To purchase or rent a required textbook for the class, visit a reputable textbook vendor. If the vendor also has a book buy-back program, that will allow the student to recoup a significant portion of the purchase price. In any case, the business mathematics textbook is a valuable companion for successful course completion and a career in this field.
