So I am at a new college now. I have enrolled in Algebra! Yes! Does anyone believe me that I am so excited? I don’t.
I already took algebra, algebra II and Pre-calculus in high school and I thought I had left it behind. I guess since my high school years were a very long time ago I guess I have to do this. So I have been reading some things about algebra and I distinctly remember things as being a little different! Some things are the same though, but what if I solve some things differently and I get the wrong answer? I am thinking I won’t get multiple choice where I can fudge things, like on the games on my phone. The laws of deduction; all of these laws are real. Thank goodness. All of those standardized tests said so.
The biggest item I want to ask someone about is the:
distributive property. But the internet will not give me a definitive answer. I totally remember that when I solved equations using this that I had to distribute each term to each of the other terms within the parenthesis, right? I really remember doing that and that I would get some crazy terms with numbers and letters and then you have to join the like terms and stuff.
I was on a certain website and I found out that, that whole group of people do not distribute the first term of any of their equations! They just distribute the ones after the first term. I kept getting the wrong answers and then I realized that they really do not do that! Is this correct?? I guess since these people are nationally recognized I guess?? But will the college that I am going to do that too? What else has changed?
Outer brackets and inner parenthesis.
I really remember that we solved problems with outer brackets and inner parenthesis. But I have not found those yet in my studying for this class before the class. I really liked using those because it helped with the order of operations. I guess that is still a normal situation.
Oh! what about using an asterisk or an X to signify multiplication in algebra? NO! OMG! Please no. If you want to hear me cry please use these.
It is instead ONLY parenthesis to signify multiplication. I have seen asterisks and an X used to signify multiplication! WHY? This is illegal and please take a fine and sit no where in the class. Please don’t read this post if you really like doing that.
Next:
When you are solving equations please solve them vertically and not horizontally. I have seen these examples of people solving these equations horizontally and when a person does this it looks like you are adding more to the actual equation midway down. Subtract or add or multiply or divide vertically, right under the other number not beside it when solving it. I am not a teacher but, oh my goodness. Don’t teach us that this is right!
A few last things:
has anyone wondered about square roots? And why the answer is expressed or written such as it is?
The square root of 25 is 5.
because 5 squared or 5 with an exponent of 2 is 25.
I was wondering why the answer to the square root of 25 is 5 instead of 5 squared?
Because:
it is only the (number) that is squared
and not the number that is squared and expressed or written with an exponent.
A term is when you put a number and a letter together in algebra, that is a term.
An expression is how something is written or ‘expressed’
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