Intro duction A n important branch of mathematics algebra is studied not only in high school and college but in the lower grades as well Although it is dreaded by many students alge bra can be an enjoyable subject Algebra is practical and as useful as all the other branches of mathematics For some careers such as those in engineering and science knowledge of algebra is indispensable After reading these chapters algebra will no longer seem intimi dating In fact you may be surprised at how often you use it on a daily basis It is easy to get hung up on the symbols and complicated story problems for which algebra is famous However mathematical concepts that seem so mysterious are often used in reg ular conversation The trick is learning how to translate math into English For example suppose an 8 yearo old boy asks his father how old he is Instead of answer ing the boy directly the father can attempt an experiment by replying that he is 30 years older than the boy This is a problem that the son is interested in solving He can quickly perform the addition and find that his father is 38 years
8 30 38 Suppose the boy then asks the age of his mother The father might at this point present a more challenging problem For example the Algebra is less difficult and more useful than many people think Lisa F Young Shutterstock com R a case
Algebra father may answer that if the boy added six years to his mother's age the result would be equal to the father's age The father has thus found an excellent opportunity to help his son understand how an algebraic equation may be made up and solved The father writes the mother's age on a slip of paper and turns the slip over so the boy cannot see the numeral He then lays the slip blank side up on a tablet Next to the slip he writes the symbols that will help solve the problem D 6 38 The son takes only a moment to guess that his mother is 32 years old When the father turns the slip of paper over they see this answer is correct 32 6 38 This will have been the boy s first lesson in algebra because he essentially solved the equa tion x 6
INTRODUCTION The father did not say anything about a mys terious letter x that can stand for any number Nor did he tell the boy about any rule such as changing the sign of the six and writing it on the other side of the equation Instead the boy s first lesson in algebra evolved in a natural way from a problem in arithmetic When you study algebra in school you will learn more about the relationship between algebra and arithmetic Some of the fundar mental concepts of algebra that are taught in school are explained in the following chap ters You will learn why algebra was developed basic principles of algebra such as variables generalizations and patterns and everything you need to know about real numbers More important you will learn how to apply alge bra's fundamental concepts In no time at all algebra will cease to be a mystery A R a costs
