Algebra and symbols in algebra are like a foreign language. They all mean something and can be translated back and forth. Here are a few symbols that you should know, an expression is any combination of values and operations that can be use to show how things belong together and compare to one another.
Here is an example of an expression, a term such as 4XY is a grouping of one or more factors which could be variables, numbers or both. Multiplication is the only thing connecting the number with the variables. Addition and subtraction on the other hand separate terms from one another.
For example this expression has three terms. An equation uses a sign to show a relationship that two things are equal. By using an equation, tough problems are reduced to easier problems and simpler answers. An operation is an action performed upon one or two numbers to produce a resulting number. Operations are addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, square roots and so on.
A variable is a letter that always represents a number but it varies until it’s written in either in an equation or inequality. That is a comparison of two values, then the faith of the variable is set. It can be solved for and it’s value becomes the solution of the equation. A constant is a value or number that never changes in an equation – it’s constantly the same. The number five is a constant because it is what it is, a variable can be constant if it is assigned to definite value.
Usually a variable representing a constant is one of the first letters in the alphabet. So in the equation AX squared + BX + C = 0, A, B and C are constants and the X is the variable. The value of X depends on what A, B and C are assigned to be. An exponent is a small number written slightly above and to the right of a variable or number. Such as two in the expression three squared. It is used to show repeated multiplication an exponent is also called the power of the value.
To simplify means to combine all that can be combined, cut down on the number of terms and put in an easy to understand form. To factor means to change two or more terms to just one term and to solve means to find the answer. In algebra it means to figure out what the variables stands for.
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