This text is intended for the Foundations of Higher Math bridge course taken by prospective math majors following completion of the mainstream Calculus sequence, and is designed to help students develop the abstract mathematical thinking skills necessary for success in later upper-level majors math courses. As lower-level courses such as Calculus rely more exclusively on computational problems to service students in the sciences and engineering, math majors increasingly need clearer guidance and more rigorous practice in proof technique to adequately prepare themselves for the advanced math curriculum. With their friendly writing style Bob Dumas and John McCarthy teach students how to organize and structure their mathematical thoughts, how to read and manipulate abstract definitions, and how to prove or refute proofs by effectively evaluating them. Its wealth of exercises give students the practice they need, and its rich array of topics give instructors the flexibility they desire to cater coverage to the needs of their school’s majors curriculum.

This text is part of the Walter Rudin Student Series in Advanced Mathematics.