Sets, logic & numbers

This text is designed to give the student a background in the foundations of algebra and analysis. The algebra of symbolic logic and the concept of set are introduced early in the text so that the main definitional development of the complex number system flows easily from a set of postulates for the natural numbers. Important concepts are introduced when needed to provide better motivation through immediate usage. Thus, the approach is integrated for a greater continuity of ideas than would be possible if a course in sets were followed by a course in the number systems.A preliminary edition of the text was class-tested in a two-course sequence of two semester-hours each at the University of Maine. It was taught, primarily, to freshman and sophomore students who intended to major in or to teach mathematics. This sequence provided a total of sixty class sessions, or about one fifty-minute class period for each section of the text. There was more than enough material for such use, but most topics were covered in the allotted time.