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Algebra Formulas

The document provides summaries and formulas for various topics in algebra, including: 1) Laws of exponents, the quadratic formula, binomial theorem, difference of squares, and rules of zero. 2) Formulas for calculating the area of rectangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, triangles, and circles. 3) Formulas for calculating the volume of cubes, rectangular prisms, cylinders, and other shapes. 4) Formulas for defining and calculating slope, using slope-intercept form, and calculating slope given two points. 5) Formulas for factoring the sum and difference of two cubes, using the vertex formula and quadratic formula. 6) The Pythagorean theorem.

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Alam Sheikh
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234 views13 pages

Algebra Formulas

The document provides summaries and formulas for various topics in algebra, including: 1) Laws of exponents, the quadratic formula, binomial theorem, difference of squares, and rules of zero. 2) Formulas for calculating the area of rectangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, triangles, and circles. 3) Formulas for calculating the volume of cubes, rectangular prisms, cylinders, and other shapes. 4) Formulas for defining and calculating slope, using slope-intercept form, and calculating slope given two points. 5) Formulas for factoring the sum and difference of two cubes, using the vertex formula and quadratic formula. 6) The Pythagorean theorem.

Uploaded by

Alam Sheikh
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Algebra Formulas

Here area some of the most commonly used formulas in algebra. If you have one you'd like to be added, or find an error, please contact me.

Laws of Exponents

(am)(an) = am+n (ab)m = ambm (am)n = amn a0 = 1 (am)/(an) = am-n a-m= 1/(am)

Quadratic Formula
In an equation like ax2 + bx + c = 0 You can solve for x using the Quadratic Formula:

Binomial Theorem

(a + b)1 = a + b (a + b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b2 (a + b)3 = a3 + 3a2b + 3ab2 + b3 (a + b)4 = a4 + 4a3b + 6a2b2 + 4ab3 + b4 ...and so on...

Difference of Squares

a2 - b2 = (a - b)(a + b)

Rules of Zero

0/x = 0 where x is not equal to 0. a0 = 1 0a = 0 a*0 = 0 a/0 is undefined (you can't do it)

Area of a Rectangle
A rectangle is a 4 sided figure with two pairs of parallel lines. Each set of parallel lines has the same length. To find the area of a rectangle we are going to multiply the length x the width.

Area of a Parallelogram
A parallelogram is another 4 sided figure with two pairs of parallel lines. To find the area of a parallelogram, we will multiply the base x the height. Let's look at the formula and example.

Area of a Trapezoid
A trapezoid is a 4 sided figure formed by one pair of parallel sides. This area formula is a little more complicated. Study the example carefully!

Area of a Triangle
A triangle is a 3 sided figure. There are several different types of triangles. You must be careful when trying to locate the height of the triangle. Remember the height of the shape must be a straight, vertical line.

Area of a Circle
A circle, of course, has no straight lines. We use pi (3.14) when we calculate the area of a circle.

Volume of a Cube
Since a cube has sides that are all the same size, this is a very easy volume formula to remember. We are going to find the area of the bottom of the cube and multiply by the height. So, that's length x width x height. Since the length, width and height are all the same dimensions, we can cube the length of the side. Take a look at the example.

Volume of a Rectangular Prism


A rectangular prism is your basic box, that is not a cube. In order to find the volume, we will multiply the length x width x height. These dimensions may all be different, so there is no shortcut for this one!

Volume of a Cylinder
To find the volume of a cylinder, we must find the area of the base and multiply that by the height. Remember that the area of a circle (the base is a circle) is Pi x radius 2.

Other Volume Formulas


The formulas for the following shapes are pretty clear. (To be honest, I am still looking for graphics to be able to show an example! Word does not offer these 3-dimensional shapes!) Click here if you need more help with these

formulas.

Return from Volume Formulas to Algebra Formulas

Definition of Slope
The slope of a line defines the steepness of the line and whether the line rises or falls. The definition of slope is the rise divided by the run, written as:

The slope is calculated by counting the rise and then counting the run. We then write the slope as a fraction. We use this definition when calculating slope or graphing slope.

Graphing slope also leads us to a very popular method for graphing linear equations, slope intercept form.

Slope Intercept Form

When a linear equation is written in slope intercept form, the slope of the line can easily be identified. The slope is "m" or the coefficient of x in the equation.

Often times a graph is not present, and we must calculate the slope when given two ordered pairs. In this case we must use another special formula.

Calculating Slope Given Two Points


When given two points, the following formula can be used to determine the slope of the line:

This formula is commonly used to solve rate of change problems. Click here for detailed examples on using this formula.

The Sum and Difference of Two Cubes


The following are the formulas for factoring the sum and difference of two cubes:

Quadratic Formula
There are two formulas that are associated with quadratic equations: the vertex formula and the quadratic formula.

Vertex Formula
The vertex formula is used when you must find the vertex (minimum or maximum point) of the parabola.

Click here for detailed examples on using the vertex formula.

Quadratic Formula
You can use the quadratic formula to solve ANY quadratic equation. It is used most when the quadratic equation is non-factorable.

Click here to see step-by-step examples using the quadratic formula.

Our last basic algebra formula is the Pythagorean Theorem.

Pythagorean Theorem
The Pythagorean Theorem is used to identify the length of the sides of any right triangle.

Click here for detailed examples on using the Pythagorean Theorem.

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