The first edition of Contemporary Precalculus through Applications was published in 1993, well before the widespread use of computers in the classroom. Collaborating with students and teachers across the state, faculty from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) have steadily developed, reviewed, and tested the textbook in the years since. It is the sole textbook used in NCSSM precalculus courses.

This third edition contains extensively updated data, graphics, and material attuned to contemporary technology while keeping what made the book so revolutionary when it was first published--a focus on real-world problem solving and student discovery. This edition will prepare students to learn mathematics in the following major areas:
* Data analysis and linear regression
* Functions: linear, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, parametric, and trigonometric
* Modifying functions through transformations and compositions
* Recursive systems and sequences
* Modeling real-world phenomenon and applications

An open access edition of this book is available at cpta.ncssm.edu, along with supplementary materials and other information.