Mary Jane Sterling
Alegebra II For Dummies®
Algebra II For Dummies®, 2nd Edition
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2015937848
ISBN 978-1-119-09062-5 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-11909073-1 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119- 09063-2 (ebk)
Introduction
Here you are, contemplating reading a book on Algebra II. It isn’t a mystery novel, although you can find people who think mathematics in general is a mystery. It isn’t a historical account, even though you find some historical tidbits scattered here and there. Science fiction it isn’t; mathematics is a science, but you find more fact than fiction. As Joe Friday (star of the old Dragnet series) says, “The facts, ma’am, just the facts.” This book isn’t light reading, although I attempt to interject humor whenever possible. What you find in this book is a glimpse into the way I teach: uncovering mysteries, working in historical perspectives, providing information, and introducing the topic of Algebra II with good-natured humor. This book has the best of all literary types! Over the years, I’ve tried many approaches to teaching algebra, and I hope that with this book I’m helping you cope with and incorporate other teaching methods.
About This Book
Because you’re interested in this book, you probably fall into one of four categories:
✔ You’re fresh off Algebra I and feel eager to start on this new venture.
✔ You’ve been away from algebra for a while, but math has always been your main interest, so you don’t want to start too far back.
✔ You’re a parent of a student embarking on or having some trouble with an Algebra II class and you want to help.
✔ You’re just naturally curious about science and mathematics and you want to get to the good stuff that’s in Algebra II.
Whichever category you represent (and I may have missed one or two), you’ll find what you need in this book. You can find some advanced algebraic topics, but I also cover the necessary basics, too. You can also find plenty of connections – the ways different algebraic topics connect with each other and the ways the algebra connects with other areas of mathematics.
After all, the many other math areas drive Algebra II. Algebra is the passport to studying calculus, trigonometry, number theory, geometry, all sorts of good mathematics, and much of science. Algebra is basic, and the algebra you find here will help you grow your skills and knowledge so you can do well in math courses and possibly pursue other math topics.
To help you navigate this book, I use the following conventions:
✔ I italicize special mathematical terms and define them right then and there so you don’t have to search around.
✔ I use boldface text to indicate keywords in bulleted lists or the action parts of numbered steps. I describe many algebraic procedures in a step-by-step format and then use those steps in an example or two.
✔ Sidebars are shaded boxes that contain text you may find interesting, but this text isn’t necessarily critical to your understanding of the chapter or topic.
Foolish Assumptions
Algebra II is essentially a continuation of Algebra I, so I have some assumptions I need to make about anyone who wants (or has) to take algebra one step further.
I assume that a person reading about Algebra II has a grasp of the arithmetic of signed numbers – how to combine positive and negative numbers and come out with the correct sign. Another assumption I make is that your order of operations is in order. Working your way through algebraic equations and expressions requires that you know the rules of order. Imagine yourself at a meeting or in a courtroom. You don’t want to be called out of order !
I assume that people who complete Algebra I successfully know how to solve equations and do basic graphs. Even though I lightly review these topics in this book, I assume that you have a general knowledge of the necessary procedures. I also assume that you have a handle on the basic terms you run across in Algebra I, such as
✔ binomial: An expression with two terms.
✔ coefficient: The multiplier or factor of a variable.
✔ constant: A number that doesn’t change in value.
✔ expression: Combination of numbers and variables grouped together – not an equation or inequality.
✔ factor (n.): Something multiplying something else.
✔ factor (v.): To change the format of several terms added together into a product.
✔ linear: An expression in which the highest power of any variable term is one.
✔ monomial: An expression with only one term.
✔ polynomial: An expression with several terms.
✔ quadratic: An expression in which the highest power of any variable term is two.
✔ simplify: To change an expression into an equivalent form that you combined, reduced, factored, or otherwise made more useable.
✔ solve: To find the value or values of the variable that makes a statement true.
✔ term: A grouping