lunes, 8 de junio de 2009

Take a chance!

Here you can see if you really have what I have told you, in your brain, and hopefully it will make those important facts get to your long term brain!

jueves, 21 de mayo de 2009

PEMDAS!


http://www.coolmath.com/prealgebra/06-order-of-operations/05-order-of-operations-parenthesis-PEMDAS-01.htm

PEMDAS is the way to solve equations in the right order. You can also refer to it as Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally to help you remember. You always solve from left to right following PEMDAS.

Lets start with P, this means parenthesis goes first: ( ), { }, [ ]. Then, second in operation goes E, meaning exponents plus root. Then in order5 of importance is Multiplication and Division that are equal in priority (solve from left to right in importance). These are M and D: /, *, x. The last to letters stand for Addition and Subtraction that also have the same priority. Examples of A and S: +, -.

This system helped us during this unit a lot. I hope it helps you too.

Solving equations!


To solve equations, you must have three things in mind; the commutative property, the distributive property and the type of equations that exist, for each one needs a diferent aproach. The way in which you should start to solve is write your equation and see if it is a linear equation (ax+by=c or y=mx+b), constant (k=x+y) or quadratic. In this case I will use a linear equation (y=mx+b) because this equation was the one we made enfasis on as well as quadratic.
Steps:
1. Identify what they are asking.
2. replace the value given in the correct place.
3. solve the operations needed.


Examples:

1. y=5x+25     Find y when x=3
2.y=5(3)+25
3.y=15+25
4.y=40
Final answer: (3,40)

You can also find the other variable by doing inverse equation:
1. y=5x+25     Find x when y=10
2. 10=5x+25

You must change the next step for it is easier to make inverse operations, inverse everything in the equation!
3. x=10/5-25

And then just continue solving normally:
4. x=2-25
5. x=-23
Answer is (-23, 10)

lunes, 18 de mayo de 2009

Properties

http://www.coolmath.com/prealgebra/07-properties/05-properties-distributive-01.htm

The distributive property is the second property in my list. This has to do with solving equations. This property consists on pairing variables with variables and numbers with numbers. You can also say it apples with apples and pears with pears. Whenever you are solving an equation you have to put variables on one side and numbers on the other side.

Here is an example: -3x+10=12x-20
10+20=12x+3x
30=15xhttp://schools-wikipedia.org/wp/c/Commutativity.htm

The commutative property is very important for it has to do with addition and multiplication inside equations. This property states that when you multiply or add any number you can do it in any order. This means that if you multiply 5*10, it is the same than 10*5. Its the same for addition; 5+10 is the same to 10+5. If an equation has division or subtraction inside the equation, changing its order changes your answer. (10/2=5 and 2/10=.2)


The third property to have in mind is how to pass it from expanded form to make an equal equation in factored form.
  • This is an equation in expanded form: 3x+15.
  • This is an equation in factored form: 3(x+5)

To pass from expanded form to factored form you must find a common factor to divide both numbers with and have as less addition or subtraction possible for factored form equations are made to have smaller equations for easier use.

jueves, 14 de mayo de 2009

Project Introduction

Hello dear readers! My name is Paula Largacha. I am still a student at my school and my math and computer teachers have asked me to make a blog about mathematical symbols. Math has a very broad composition but it all comes down to knowing basic mathematical symbols. In this blog I will try to include some of the knowledge I learned during a unit in the school year called "Making Sense of Symbols".

The goal I have set for this blog is to apply computer knowledge to help others and myself to understand about math. My role for this is nothing else but a student making a blog for other students and teachers. I will use Microsoft Office Excel and Microsoft Office PowerPoint to support my blog and my ideas. I will use PowerPoint to make a presentation explaining procedures used and how symbols should be used. Excel will be used throughout my blog and I am not certain of how exactly but that will come to me in time. I hope that you will not stopping reading my posts and stick around to see how my project ends up in my moments of inspiration.(jiji)

There are three subtopics I have chosen. This are; solving equations, important properties and PEMDAS. These subtopics summarize what we learned in this unit and I hope that I am able to teach you about math.

For reference you could go to Mauricio Bustamantes´ Blog for another math issue or Maria Fernanda Granja´s Blog to learn about minerals.