You love math, and your idea of a good time is solving equations on a rainy afternoon while listening to your iPod.
Your adventure with algebra doesn’t have to end when you’ve finished reading this book. I’ve put some more goodies online for you to enjoy:
✓ Cheat Sheet: The Cheat Sheet for this book covers everything from key formulas you should memorize to rules of divisibility to the order of operations and more. You can find it at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/ucanalgebra1.
✓ Online articles: I couldn’t fit everything I wanted into this book, so you can find additional content at www.dummies.com/extras/ucanalgebra1. You can find articles on factoring trinomials using the “box” method, the golden ratio, finding the area of a triangle using its coordinates, and ten tips on avoiding algebra pitfalls.
✓ Online practice and study aids: The online practice that comes free with this book offers 1,001 questions and answers that allow you to gain more practice with Algebra I concepts. The beauty of the online questions is that you can customize your online practice to focus on the topic areas that give you the most trouble. So, if you need help with factoring or story problems, just select those question types online and start practicing. Or if you’re short on time but want to get a mixed bag of a limited number of questions, you can specify the number of questions you want to practice. Whether you practice a few hundred questions in one sitting or a couple dozen, and whether you focus on a few types of questions or practice every type, the online program keeps track of the questions you get right and wrong so you can monitor your progress and spend time studying exactly what you need.
To gain access to the online practice, all you have to do is register. Just follow these simple steps:
1. Find your PIN code.
• Print-book users: If you purchased a hard copy of this book, turn to the front of this book to find your PIN.
• E-book users: If you purchased this book as an e-book, you can get your PIN by registering your e-book at www.dummies.com/go/getaccess. Simply select your book from the drop-down menu, fill in your personal information, and then answer the security question to verify your purchase. You’ll then receive an e-mail with your PIN.
2. Go to http://onlinepractice.dummies.com.
3. Enter your PIN.
4. Follow the instructions to create an account and establish your own login information.
Now you’re ready to go! You can come back to the online program as often as you want – simply log on with the username and password you created during your initial login. No need to enter the PIN a second time.
Tip: If you have trouble with your PIN or can’t find it, contact Wiley Product Technical Support at 877-762-2974 or go to http://wiley.custhelp.com.
Ready to start? All psyched and ready to go? Then it’s time to take this excursion in algebra. Yes, this book is a grand adventure just waiting for you to take the first step. If you want to refresh your basic skills or boost your confidence, start with Part I. If you’re ready for some factoring practice and need to pinpoint which method to use with what, go to Part II. Part III is for you if you’re ready to solve equations; you can find just about any type you’re ready to attack. Part IV is where the good stuff is – applications – things to do with all those good solutions. The lists in Part V are usually what you’d look at after visiting one of the other parts, but why not start there? It’s a fun place!
Studying algebra can give you some logical exercises. As you get older, the more you exercise your brain cells, the more alert and “with it” you remain. “Use it or lose it” means a lot in terms of the brain. What a good place to use it, right here!
The best why for studying algebra is just that it’s beautiful. Yes, you read that right. Algebra is poetry, deep meaning, and artistic expression. Just look, and you’ll find it. Also, don’t forget that it gives you power.
Welcome to algebra! Enjoy the adventure!
Part I
In this part …
Chapter 1
Assembling Your Tools
In This Chapter
You’ve probably heard the word algebra on many occasions, and you knew that it had something to do with mathematics. Perhaps you remember that algebra has enough information to require taking two separate high school algebra classes – Algebra I and Algebra II. But what exactly is algebra? What is it really used for?
This book answers these questions and more, providing the straight scoop on some of the contributions to algebra’s development, what it’s good for, how algebra is used, and what tools you need to make it happen. In this chapter, you find some of the basics necessary to more easily find your way through the different topics in this book. I also point you toward these topics.
In a nutshell, algebra is a way of generalizing arithmetic. Through the use of variables (letters representing numbers) and formulas or equations involving those variables, you solve problems. The problems may be in terms of practical applications, or they may be puzzles for the pure pleasure of the solving. Algebra uses positive and negative numbers, integers, fractions, operations, and symbols to analyze the relationships between values. It’s a systematic study of numbers and their relationships, and it uses specific rules.
