As in previous editions, the focus in ESSENTIAL MATHEMATICS with APPLICATIONS remains on the Aufmann Interactive Method (AIM). Students are encouraged to be active participants in the classroom and in their own studies as they work through the How To examples and the paired Examples and You Try It problems. The role of "active participant" is crucial to success. Presenting students with worked examples, and then providing them with the opportunity to immediately work similar problems, helps them build their confidence and eventually master the concepts. To this point, simplicity plays a key factor in the organization of this edition, as in all other editions. All lessons, exercise sets, tests, and supplements are organized around a carefully-constructed hierarchy of objectives. This "objective-based" approach not only serves the needs of students, in terms of helping them to clearly organize their thoughts around the content, but instructors as well, as they work to design syllabi, lesson plans, and other administrative documents. The Eighth Edition features a new design, enhancing the Aufmann Interactive Method and the organization of the text around objectives, making the pages easier for both students and instructors to follow.