U Can: Algebra I For Dummies®

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      Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

      Published simultaneously in Canada

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      Library of Congress Control Number: 2014956254

      ISBN 978-1-119-06389-6 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-06390-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-06396-4 (ebk)

      Introduction

      One of the most commonly asked questions in an algebra classroom is, “What will I ever use this for?” Some teachers can give a good, convincing answer. Others hem and haw and stare at the floor. My favorite answer is, “Algebra gives you power.” Algebra gives you the power to move on to bigger and better things in mathematics. Algebra gives you the power of knowing that you know something that your neighbor doesn’t know. Algebra gives you the power to be able to help someone else with an algebra task or to explain to your child these logical mathematical processes.

      Algebra is a system of symbols and rules that is universally understood, no matter what the spoken language. Algebra provides a clear, methodical process that can be followed from beginning to end. It’s an organizational tool that is most useful when followed with the appropriate rules. What power! Some people like algebra because it can be a form of puzzle solving. You solve a puzzle by finding the value of a variable. You may prefer Sudoku or Ken Ken or crosswords, but it wouldn’t hurt to give algebra a chance, too.

      This book is filled with algebra problems you can study, solve, and learn from. But you’re not going to be doing these problems alone. As you proceed through this book, you’ll see plenty of road signs that clearly mark the way. You’ll find plenty of explanations, examples, and other bits of info to make this journey as smooth an experience as possible. As you work through the practice problems, you also get to do your own grading with the solutions I provide at the end of each problem set. You can even go back and change your answers to the correct ones, if you made an error. No, you’re not cheating. You’re figuring out how to correctly work algebra problems. (Actually, changing answers to the correct ones is a great way to learn from your mistakes.)

      Remember, mathematics is a subject that has to be handled. You can read English literature and understand it without having to actually write it. You can read about biological phenomena and understand them, too, without taking part in an experiment. Math is different. You really do have to do it, practice it, play with it, and use it. Only then does the mathematics become a part of your knowledge and skills. And what better way to get your fingers wet than by jumping into this workbook? Remember, only practice, practice, and some more practice can help you master algebra! You will have the power!

      This book isn’t like a mystery novel; you don’t have to read it from beginning to end. In fact, you can peek at how it ends and not spoil the rest of the story.

      I divide the book into some general topics – from the beginning nuts and bolts to the important tool of factoring to equations and applications. So you can dip into the book wherever you want, to find the information you need.

      I introduce basic concepts and properties first and then move on to the more complex ones. That way, if you’re pretty unsteady on your feet, algebra-wise, you can begin at the beginning and build your skills and your confidence as you progress through the different chapters.

      But maybe you don’t need practice problems from beginning to end. Maybe you just need a bit of extra practice with specific types of algebra problems. One nice thing about this book is that you can start wherever you want. If your nemesis is graphing, for example, you can go straight to the chapters that focus on graphing. Formulas your problem area? Then go to the chapters that deal with formulas.

      Bottom line: You do need the basic algebra concepts to start anywhere in this book, but after you have those down, you can pick and choose where you want to work. You can jump in wherever you want and work from there.

      Finally, the sidebars (those little gray boxes) are interesting but not essential to your understanding of the text. If you’re short on time, you can skip the sidebars. Of course, if you read them, I think you’ll be entertained. You can also skip anything marked by a Technical Stuff icon (see “Icons Used in This Book” for more information).

      When writing this book, I made the following assumptions about you, my dear reader:

      Your adventure with algebra doesn’t have to end when you’ve finished reading this book. I’ve put some more goodies online for you to enjoy: