Stewart 1 Zach Stewart Mrs.

Velasquez Algebra 2 October 7th 2012 Cross Curriculum Math is much easier when you understand the basics of it. Having a foundation of solving equations and inequalities and graphing linear in slope intercept form create the basics for things youll use in higher math classes. Trust me, math is not hard when you just take the time to learn the basics. Once you have these math will be a breeze. One of the biggest concepts in math is solving equations. This is very easy once you break it down into steps. First, find out what x is. Once you have this you can begin to start formatting the equation to isolate this variable. Usually there is a number before the variable which is called a coefficient. You want this number gone to create the most simple equation possible. Say you have an problem like this, 2x + 8 = 10, you want to get it down to an equation like this, x + 8 = 5. To get this, you have to either divide or multiply. If you want to divide, all you have to do is divide x by 2 and 10 by two, since you want to make each side of the equation equal. Multiplying is even easier. You find the reciprocal of x and multiply both that and the other side of the equation. Once you master this you will be good to go in anything new you learn in math. The next big concept in algebra is solving inequalities. This is just a fancy name for something almost exactly the same as solving equations. This concept just

Stewart 2 has a little twist. There is either greater to, less than, greater to and equal to, or less than or equal to. These all have separate signs and mean different things. Solving these is simple if you think of the inequality as a regular equation. The symbol in the middle is only important in the answer. There is a rule that goes with how the sign either stays or switches, though. If anywhere through the equation you divide or multiply by a negative number, you have to switch the sign to the opposite side. You can also graph these on a number line. Once you figure this out and remember the important negative number rule, you will be golden in your algebra class. Graphing linear equations in slope-intercept form is the only one of these that involves some use of brain cells. This is setting up an equation so that you will be able to graph a line of it on a graph. Here is an example of slope intercept form, y = x + 1. This is the most simple equation of slope intercept. In this, 1 is the y intercept and x is the slope. An important rule that will make your line accurate or wrong is that the slope of the line is positive if it slants up to the right and negative if it slants up to the left. If the equation does not initially look like this just switch the numbers around using your new learned solving equation skills. This is a very important part of algebra that will help you all throughout your years in math. I hope that you found all these tips useful and can soon use these. As long as you memorize the rules and systems you will have no problem tackling even the hardest of equations involving these concepts. Maths basic concepts are incredibly important to master and know like the back of your hand. Make sure you know how to use and apply these concepts before moving on in anything or else Algebra and every next math level will be hell.