I have an entrance exam in two days, of which the date snuck up on me. While I have no worries about the reading/writing sections, I suck horribly at advanced math. And I just realized how much. While I have been off school for a year, and thus haven't needed to keep doing it ... I've somehow forgotten how to check algebra problems to ensure they're correct, as well as the correct order to do problems in parenthesis.

If you are solving for x in a math problem, take the answer you get after solving for x. Plug x into the original problem. If both sides are equal, that it is correct. Hence the "equal" sign.


2x+3 = x + 5

both sides are equal to the other

Yes, but I sadly forgot how to get the "x" on the more advanced problems. Basic ones aren't an issue, but I know the test will also have AlgebraII complications.

solve for x then put your answer for x into the y spot then take those answers and plug them in.

Can you give an example of a problem you're having a hard time on?

Might be too advanced for me if it's advanced college math but I'll try too! ^^

I can attempt to help too.

Well, here is two of the ones I'm having issues with.

4/5y - 3y = 33

54 + x + 89/3 = 76

Remember, please excuse my dear aunt sally

Prosthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, adding, subtraction

order of operations

BEDMAS

brackets

exponents

division/multiplication

addition/subtraction


yay, I remember maths.

Haha, no one taught us the dear aunt Sally part. We had to just memorize "PEMDAS"

I found this page which seemed very helpful, especially in reducing and getting rid of the fractions which then turns the problem into something much simpler:

http://www.themathpage.com/alg/equations-fractions.htm

I'll review the site you provided tomorrow, PoM, and then I'll probably end up posting here for more belated refreshers. Sadly, this is quite embarrassing since I graduated early. T_T

Well I haven't done this stuff in years! I went through one of your examples to see if I could solve it for you step by step, but I think I making some stupid simple mathematical error somewhere as my answwer doesn't check out. *sigh* Now it's bugging me.

SO I really help my link and whatever Saturn might come up eith helps. Good luck!

Here!


So, the equals sign didn't line up (bummer!) but here we go!

First you combine where you can combine -- the y's are to the same power, so you can combine your first-bits together! Once you've done that, you just multiply each side by the reciprocal, and you've gotten your Y alone, thus you've got your answer!

To check, throw your answer into the equation pretending it's your Y. It checks out! You win!

AND NOW FOR THE OTHER ONE:

.... now i thirst for math.

SORRY FOR SPAMMING BUT I JUST HAD TO SHARE THIS:


This is my Math Giraffe!! <3 I got him/her just this weekend~~ MathGiraffe is an inspiration to keep doing math! ((Could you say no to that face?!)) Mathgiraffe loves math. ._. and only eats correct answers (with units!) so everyone has to try really hard to help out/feed the math giraffe. ^_^

ALSO IT IS TO INCLUDE MORE CUTENESS INTO THE CLASSROOM THE END.

Do you need any more help or see any other problems worked out?

For those kinds of problems! It can make everything easier to see if you multiple everything by the lowest common denominator ^^ then just rearrange until your variables are on the same side and then simple divide at the end :3 it'll stop the fractions from getting you all muddled. though its not for everyone

Whole numbers are just easier to work with for some people

Sailor Uranus wrote:

Here!


So, the equals sign didn't line up (bummer!) but here we go!

First you combine where you can combine -- the y's are to the same power, so you can combine your first-bits together! Once you've done that, you just multiply each side by the reciprocal, and you've gotten your Y alone, thus you've got your answer!

To check, throw your answer into the equation pretending it's your Y. It checks out! You win!

All right, this one does make sense now that you worked it out. I was unfortunately forgetting to do one of the key steps, which is why my answer wasn't working out. Thank you, Kyra, XD.

Sailor Uranus wrote:

AND NOW FOR THE OTHER ONE:

For this one, I didn't write it out right on the computer. The three was to divide by the entire first portion of the problem, not just the 89. To write it out in a more handwritten fashion, it'd look like this:

54 + x + 89
__________ = 76
3

But ... I think I might be able to do it. I certainly appreciate everyone's help, though. >_>

(And your little Math Giraffe is cute, Xd.)

!! I get it. ^^' yeah, hard to write equations on the computer. !! Good luck!

And if you wanted to see the equation solved:

Spoiler:

Well, I at least did that one right! That's one small comfort.

That is the absolute cutest giraffe I have ever seen in my whole life xD