Algebra: Land of the Unknown
In the words of a former student, algebra is “that math that has the letters in it.” Yes, it is indeed. If you haven’t reviewed Ace the Basics yet and it has been a while since you have studied math, you should definitely go through that material first. Algebraic problems can contain fractions, decimals, negative numbers, etc. On top of that, you have to know PEMDAS first. If you are thinking what the heck is PEMDAS, then yeah, definitely review Ace the Basics first. That is the order of operations that is totally necessary to work equations correctly.
Variables and Constants
There are two components to an algebraic equation: constants and variables. Constants are the known values in the equation. The known variables are the numbers given in an equation. Variables are the unknown values. Most commonly represented by x, the unknown value can be represented by any letter.
Coefficients
When a constant and variable are placed together without an operating sign between them, it is called a coefficient. An example is 5a. Read that as 5 multiplied by a. If the value is found for a, then multiply 5 by that value.