Which algebra book, with exercises and answers?
The question buyers ask most about the algebra books is simple: does it have exercises, and are the answers in the book? The courses differ sharply.
The books compared
| Book | Exercises | Answers | Functions and graphs | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiselev's Algebra I$44.95 | 239 graded exercises | yes | no (they are in Part II) | first course, 152 pages |
| Kiselev's Algebra II$54.95 | yes | yes | yes | second course, 248 pages |
| Kiselev's Elementary Algebra$69.95 | none | — | no | both courses, 292 pages of exposition |
| Davidov's Algebra$59.95 | problems | full worked solutions | no | both courses and more, 509 pages |
| Malinin and Burenin's Algebra$69.95 | 3,338 problems | 2,698 answers | no | both courses plus limits and series, 458 pages |
| Rashevsky's Elementary Algebra$64.95 | six short sets | no | yes, in 49 figures | both courses, 272 pages |
| Barsukov's Algebra$54.95 | see the book page | see the book page | yes: coordinates and graphs | Algebra 1 and the quadratic half of Algebra 2 |
How to choose
- Exercises with answers, and the modern function-and-graph strand
- Kiselev's Algebra I, then Kiselev's Algebra II. Both have graded exercises with answers, and Part II adds coordinates, functions and graphs.
- Worked solutions rather than bare answers
- Davidov's Algebra. It is the whole course in one volume and prints full solutions; it has no functions or graphs.
- The most practice in one book
- Malinin and Burenin's Algebra, with 3,338 problems and 2,698 answers, and chapters on limits and series.
- Graphs at the centre
- Rashevsky's Elementary Algebra, which draws first- and second-degree functions throughout. Pair it with a problem book, because its own exercise sets are short and unanswered.
- Exposition only
- Kiselev's Elementary Algebra has no exercises. It suits a reader who already has a problem book.
Problem books to pair with a course
- Shaposhnikov & Valtsov, Part I — 2,228 exercises in Part I alone, with an answer key; Shaposhnikov & Valtsov, Part II continues it · $49.95
- Kiselev's Algebra Problems — follows the chapters of Kiselev's Algebra · $39.95
- Lebedintsev's Algebra Problems, Part I — 1,637 graded problems for the first course, including linear graphs · $49.95
- Math Circle Problems — olympiad-style problems with hints and full solutions, for enrichment alongside the first course · $44.95
What none of them teach
No algebra book here teaches statistics or probability. Check the curriculum table before buying for an exam course. Before algebra: Which Russian arithmetic course? Kiselev, Kiselev's Systematic Course, Malinin & Burenin, Rashevsky. After the second course: Which trigonometry course? Rashevsky, Rybkin, Davidov, Anoshchenko, Derzhavin.