This book is for students who either never obtained any formal qualifications in mathematics, or whose knowledge became rusty through prolonged lack of use. It explains mathematical concepts and topics which are prerequisites for a student embarking on any science or other numerically based course in further and higher education. The text contains many worked examples, illustrations and exercises with solutions to reinforce understanding of the material. The emphasis is on a user-friendly approach and simplicity of style - which makes the book easy to study on its own, without any editorial help.