Textbook

We have tried to make this edition of Trigonometry useful to students in a variety of programs. For example, students who have encountered elements of triangle trig in previous courses may be able to skip all or part of Chapters 1 through 3. Students preparing for technical courses may not need much of the material after Chapter 6 or 7. Chapters 9 and 10 cover vectors and polar coordinates, optional topics that occur in some trigonometry courses but are often reserved for precalculus.

This book covers the major topics within the study of trigonometry, including vectors and their applications. At the University of Minnesota, this material is 75% of the PreCalculus II course, with the remaining 25% of that course covering algebraic topics which are included in a separate text. It comprises approximately 10-12 weeks worth of material at the college level; a typical college student would spend about 120 hours total learning this material.

Since these notes grew as a supplement to a textbook, the majority of the problems in the supplemental problems (of which there are several for almost every lecture) are more challenging and less routine than would normally be found in a book of trigonometry (note there are several inexpensive problem books available for trigonometry to help supplement the text of this book if you find the problems lacking in number). Most of the problems will give key insights into new ideas and so you are encouraged to do as many as possible by yourself before going for help.

Content is based on College Trigonometry, 3rd Corrected Edition by Carl Stitz and
Jeffrey Zeager, to whom we are grateful beyond words for their dedication in
creating and sharing their OER textbook.
This textbook has been developed by Ruth Trygstad, Salt Lake Community
College (SLCC), with contributions from Shawna Haider (SLCC), Spencer
Bartholomew (SLCC) and Maggie Cummings (University of Utah). Many
additional faculty and staff from both Salt Lake Community College and the
University of Utah have helped with this pilot edition. The project has been
sponsored and supported by SLCC, the SLCC Math Department and the University
of Utah Math Department. Special thanks goes to Jason Pickavance, Suzanne
Mozdy and Peter Trapa for their encouragement.
Additional content, including Exercises, has been borrowed from OpenStax
College, Algebra and Trigonometry, openstaxcollege.org/textbooks/college-
algebra-and-trigonometry

The precursors to what we study today as Trigonometry had their origin in ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and India. These cultures used the concepts of angles and lengths as an aid to understanding the movements of the heavenly bodies in the night sky. Ancient trigonometry typically used angles and triangles that were embedded in circles so that many of the calculations used were based on the lengths of chords within a circle. The relationships between the lengths of the chords and other lines drawn within a circle and the measure of the corresponding central angle represent the foundation of trigonometry - the relationship between angles and distances.

This trigonometry textbook is different than other trigonometry books in that it is free to download, and the reader is expected to do more than read the book and is expected to study the material in the book by working out examples rather than just reading about them. So this book is not just about mathematical content but is also about the process of learning and doing mathematics. That is, this book is designed not to be just casually read but rather to be engaged.

Since this can be a difficult task, there are several features of the book designed to assist students in this endeavor. In particular, most sections of the book start with a beginning activity that review prior mathematical work that is necessary for the new section or introduce new concepts and definitions that will be used later in that section. Each section also contains several progress checks that are short exercises or activities designed to help readers determine if they are understanding the material. In addition, the text contains links to several interactive Geogebra applets or worksheets. These applets are usually part of a beginning activity or a progress check and are intended to be used as part of the textbook.

Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies overviews the time-tested conceptual foundations of the field, while incorporating the latest research and cutting-edge applications of these basics. Each chapter will include timely, concrete, and real-life examples of communication concepts in action.

Stand up, Speak out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking features two key themes. First it focuses on helping students become more seasoned and polished public speakers, and second is its emphasis on ethics in communication. It is this practical approach and integrated ethical coverage that setsStand up, Speak out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speakingapart from the other texts in this market.

Instructors: The Fourth Edition includes a set of test banks which are not available to the public. For access to these resources, please contact Dr. Barbara Tucker at btucker@daltonstate.edu.

This Open Textbook for Public Speaking was first created under a Round Three ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. Since then, the book has undergone three new editions.

Authors' Description:

4th Edition: Changes to be added here soon.

3rd Edition:

Exploring Public Speaking: The Free College Public Speaking Textbook began as the brainchild of Dr. Kris Barton, Chair of the Department of Communication at Dalton State College. It also was made possible through a generous Textbook Transformation Grant in 2015 from Affordable Learning Georgia, a highly successful program of the University System of Georgia. Dr. Barton asked me to help him author/compile the text.

The goal was to provide a high-quality, usable, accessible, and low-cost textbook for the hundreds of students who take COMM 1110 at Dalton State College every year. This course is required of all degree-seeking students. We have been able to save students hundreds of thousands of dollars already with this text. Unexpectedly and happily, the text has also been downloaded close to 14,000 times (as of August 2018) all over the world and has been adopted at many other institutions.

Dr. Barton and I worked on creating the textbook from July 2015 until May 2016, with the goal of going live with the text in Summer of 2016. Tragically Dr. Barton passed away in early May, a reality that still does not seem real. He has been greatly missed as a friend, colleague, father, scholar, teacher, and mentor.

The launch of the book proceeded; however, due to the loss of Dr. Barton, the ancillaries were not finished. In Summer 2017 I took on a significant revision and updating which I named the Second Edition. I included in that edition information on college student success in the appendices. In January 2018, a colleague, Matthew LeHew, and I won a grant from the University System to create the ancillaries and improve the format for more accessibility. I decided to remove the “Dalton State” from the title and most examples for wider appeal. An appendix on library research retains the information for specific use of Roberts Library on our campus.

Over 90% of the book is original with Dr. Barton, me, or other colleagues at Dalton State College. Some parts, specifically from Chapters 9, 10, and 15, are adapted from another open resource public speaking text whose author prefers not to be cited.

This Third Edition, along with including necessary updates and being formatted with different software, includes four more appendices: one on online speaking, one on APA, one on humor and storytelling in public speaking, and one on Dalton State’s Library. I have also tried to clarify concepts, to provide “case studies” to show the rhetorical process, and include more outlines and examples.

We think this book is especially useful in coverage of PowerPoint, audience responsiveness, ethics in public speaking, special occasion speeches, and structure of speeches. Three ancillaries are available: electronic “flash cards” for study, Powerpoints on the 15 main chapters, and test banks for the 15 main chapters.

Thank you for downloading Exploring Public Speaking, and the co-authors and I truly wish you happy teaching and learning with it. We welcome input. If you choose to use it, let us know at btucker@daltonstate.edu.