Essentials of Elementary School Mathematics

Essentials of Elementary School Mathematics is an introductory text on the essentials of mathematics taught in elementary schools. It presents a systematic development of the mathematics of arithmetic. A primary objective is to give students a background sufficient to understand and answer at an appropriate level the various quite penetrating questions asked by young students. Some examples and exercises are concerned primarily with pedagogical aspects of arithmetic.

Comprised of 14 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the language of mathematics, focusing on concepts such as the conjunction (and); negation (not); disjunction (or); and conditional (if...then...). The discussion then turns to the theory of sets; the concept of binary operations; and recognition and identification of properties of various relations. The next section deals with the number systems of arithmetic: whole numbers, integers, rational numbers, and real numbers. Number theory and clock arithmetic are also examined, along with counting techniques and probability. The final section is devoted to motion geometry and analytic geometry.

This monograph should be of interest to students and teachers of mathematicians at the elementary level.