Algebra Basics
Power
a product of identical factors.
Unknown OR Variable
a symbol, usually a letter, that represents a solution to an equation
Like Terms
terms which have the same variable (and are raised to the same power).
Absolute value
the distance from a number to zero on the number line. Represented as |n| , where n = a positive or negative number. The Absolute Value will always be a positive number.
Place value
the number that a digit stands for. For example, in 35.6, the digit 3 stands for 30 because 3 is in the tens place. The digit 6 stands for 6/10 because 6 is in the tenths place.
Evaluate
to find the value of an expression; to solve an equation
Simplify an Expression
to perform all the operations you can within an expression.
Distributive property
when multiplying a number by an expression in parentheses ex: 2(x+y): each number inside the parentheses is multiplied by the term outside the parentheses, and the results are added or subtracted depending on the operation inside the parentheses.
Term
a number, variable, or the product/quotient of numbers and variables. Ex: 2, x, or 2x
Coefficient
a number that comes before a variable. EX: 2x, 2 is the coefficient, and x is the variable.
Square root
a number that produces a specified quantity when multiplied by itself. For example, the square root of 49 is 7, because 7x7 = 49.
Exponent
a number that tells the power to which a base is raised. In other words, the exponent represents how many times the "base" number will be multiplied by its own value
PEMDAS
Acronym for the Order of Operations. Parentheses, Exponent, Multiplication/Division, Addition/Subtraction.
FOIL
First, Inner, Outer, Last. This is the Order of Operations used when multiplying two expressions in parentheses which combine unlike terms
Order of Operations
When an expression contains more than one operation (addition, multiplication, etc), it's value depends on the order in which the operations are performed.
Polynomials
an expression made of multiple "terms" which involves many parts to be combined. May contain like or unlike terms.
Scientific notation
an expression of a number written as 10^n, where n=number. This is used to represent very large or very small numbers. The exponent in these expressions represent how many spaces to "move the decimal point over", and add place values to the number.
Binomial
an expression which is the sum of two terms (ex. 4x + x^3)
Factor
as a noun: a number that divides evenly into another number. As a verb: to write a number or an algebraic expression as a product of two or more terms
