Yoshiwara's ELEMENTARY ALGEBRA was written with two goals in mind: to present the skills of algebra in the context of modeling and problem solving; and to engage students as active participants in the process of learning. The text begins with a study of tables and graphs, and the concept of the variable is developed from that platform. Graphs are used extensively throughout the book to illustrate algebraic technique and to help students visualize relationships between variables. This book ultimately builds an intuitive framework for the later study of functions, thus giving students the skills they need to be successful in future math courses.