This new edition aims to bridge the student's first experience manipulating algebraic expressions to the more abstract skills they will develop in later courses. Students begin with a review of topics from elementary algebra. Inequalities take on a greater role and complex numbers are introduced. After the review and extension of the quadratic equation, the course takes on a more abstract and graphing direction, dealing with two variables, relations and functions and systems of equations and inequalities. Each concept is illustrated with an example, followed by a parallel problem wth an answer. The book contains many realistic applications from the physical sciences, business and economics and social sciences, and chapter review sections include a summary of the important terms and symbols.