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(Views4You - English) Introduction To Algebra - Using Variables

Professor Dave introduces algebra by explaining that it builds on basic math concepts using symbols and variables to represent quantities. Algebraic expressions include variables in addition to numbers and operations. For example, the expression 3x + 2 can be evaluated for different values of x by plugging those values into the expression. This allows algebraic equations to model real-world situations and make meaningful statements about changing quantities.

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115 views3 pages

(Views4You - English) Introduction To Algebra - Using Variables

Professor Dave introduces algebra by explaining that it builds on basic math concepts using symbols and variables to represent quantities. Algebraic expressions include variables in addition to numbers and operations. For example, the expression 3x + 2 can be evaluated for different values of x by plugging those values into the expression. This allows algebraic equations to model real-world situations and make meaningful statements about changing quantities.

Uploaded by

ic3b3rg0
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Hey it’s Professor Dave, let’s learn some

algebra.

When you learn math in school, up until a


certain point, it’s just called math.

Then all of a sudden, one day, math class


isn’t just math, it’s called algebra.

Although it may seem scary to graduate from


plain old math to algebra, it won’t be so

daunting once we realize that algebra uses


symbols just like arithmetic does, and it

is quite easy to make these symbols intuitive


so that you can manipulate algebraic equations.

Let’s start out by discussing that algebraic


essential, the unknown variable.

First of all, what is a variable?

In math, a variable is a letter or symbol


that represents a quantity that can change.

This is different from a constant, which is


a letter or symbol that represents a quantity

that does not change.

A variable can be just about anything.

The inches of rain in your town in a particular


month, the price of gasoline, the speed of

a plane, whatever it is that you want to do


math with.

Whereas with arithmetic our equations simply


contain numbers and arithmetic operations,

an algebraic expression will always include


one or more variables, as well as some numbers

and operations.

For example, 3x + 2 is an algebraic expression.

We can evaluate this expression for any value


of x that we choose, we simply plug the value

into the expression, understanding that we


can now represent the multiplication of two

numbers by simply placing them next to each


other.

We could make a table as we do this.


When x is one, we replace the x with a one.

Three times one is three, plus two is five,


so when x is one, this expression is equal

to five.

When x is two, we get six plus two, or eight.

When x is three, we get nine plus two, or


eleven, and so forth.

This is useful, because we can use algebraic


equations to model real-world situations and

make meaningful statements about them.

Instead of just using arithmetic to say that


five cheeseburgers, at three dollars each,

will cost a total of fifteen dollars, we can


set up an algebraic relationship that allows

us to do a wide variety of calculations that


are pertinent to this situation, like how

Y, the total cost, is equal to three times


X, the number of cheeseburgers.

The trick is just knowing how to set up the


equation.

Let’s say that you love to watch TV, but


not as much as your friend, Bobo.

However many hours of TV you watch in a day,


Bobo watches twice as much plus an additional

hour.

Well if you watch X hours of TV, and Bobo


watches Y hours of TV, we can relate X and

Y with an equation just like we did for the


burgers, where Y equals 2X plus one.

Whatever you watch, which is represented by


X, we double it and add one to get Y, the

amount Bobo watches.

While that was a pretty trivial example, these


kinds of algebraic relationships allow us

to do some pretty powerful things.

Before we start doing lots of algebra, there’s


a bit more to learn about algebraic properties,
so let’s move forward now.

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