Algebra/Chapter 0/Who should read this book

This book is intended to be a comprehensive look at the mathematics topic of algebra. That said, it would be well suited for a wide variety of individuals, ranging from students (at any grade level) to adults interested in refreshing or improving their understanding of basic math. It could be used either as a primary text or a reference.

This book will avoid explaining subjects with only rigorous mathematical abstractions whenever possible. Math can be tricky and frustrating enough without it seeming inaccessible. So while every topic will be covered fully and correctly and in many times using proper mathematical terminology, there will always be a backup definition or simple explanation to complete the concept. This allows a wider variety of individuals to learn from this text, from an ambitious 12-year-old to a forgetful college professor. Algebra is applicable to your daily life in addition to academic settings, so an algebra textbook should be accessible to everyone.

Prerequisites
While this book is meant to be accessible to everyone, it is advisable to get a very good grasp on arithmetic before taking a deep dive into algebra. For this reason, the very first chapter of this book acts as a comprehensive review of all of the prequesites that are necessary to start tackling the many topics the book has to offer. This chapter can be skipped entirely if you are confident enough with your ability to perform basic arithmetic. Nonetheless, a quick glimpse at the chapter, and filling in any gaps in your knowledge wouldn't hurt. In fact, it may help one in the long run.