Algebra! Ugh.

[Chango]

Math people help!

My son came to me for help with his math. I looked down at the word problem…hand over mouth…and had to apologize and tell him sheepishly that I needed to look that up.

I can’t remember my algebra formulae!! So I googled a bit and found stuff all over the place. But I’m wondering if any math people put there, or teachers, have a brief, succinct list of the popular formulae. E.g., the “two trains” scenarios, the averaging up and down, the classic “age” problems, etc

I feel like I’ve lost man points for this.

 

[Atlantic59]

Algebra is not a really a cookbook with ready-made recipes.

Suggest you look at the lesson before the homework problems to see which algebraic principle they are trying to teach. This principle is what you'll need to understand to solve the problems.

A word problem is usually given so that you can express it in terms of a single equation or a system of simultaneous equations. You then try to solve for the unknown variable(s). There are several ways to do this, most commonly by substitution of terms.

 

[Anu]

↑↑↑ Couldn't have worded it better myself, besides, is quality time and he'll thank you for it.

 

[Mempho]

What the other guys said. Algebra is a big subject, two years of high school and a whole lot of college math besides. But the quality time you spend with your son, working together, is what really matters. Your caring about him and working with him means more to him than your handing him the right answers ever would.

 

[FarmerTan]

"Math is hard" - Barbie, 1989

 

[FarmerTan]

I hated math. My MIL was my Algebra teacher. Both my in laws were high skool math teachers.

THEN.....I had a flashback of me telling my future MIL that I was never going to use "this stuff" whilst sitting in my first math lab of nursing skool.

My lovely bride refused to help me, so I got the joy of calling my MIL on the phone to ask for help!

If I could go back in time I'd slap that 14 year old brat silly!

 

[Hercule]

My family laughs at me when I do math. Fortunately my son takes after my wife when it comes to science and math. Son entered HS (private) as a freshman taking junior level math courses. It just speaks to him. On many an occasion he's spoken of looking past the grammar of math and seeing the poetry of it. Just this afternoon he got an invitation to take summer math classes at Stanford! And he's only a junior.

Forgive me for bragging he's a pretty remarkable young man on so many levels. Words cannot express how proud of him I am!

 

[FarmerTan]

My family laughs at me when I do math. Fortunately my son takes after my wife when it comes to science and math. Son entered HS (private) as a freshman taking junior level math courses. It just speaks to him. On many an occasion he's spoken of looking past the grammar of math and seeing the poetry of it. Just this afternoon he got an invitation to take summer math classes at Stanford! And he's only a junior.

Forgive me for bragging he's a pretty remarkable young man on so many levels. Words cannot express how proud of him I am!

I can relate, totally. Thank you for bragging up your son! Now I won't stand out so much, lol.

My son COMPLETELY got his Math Genes (jeans?) from his mother's side. He was homeskooled, so he was taught 99% by my wife. He's also like my brother, in that he can figure out the answer in his head faster than using a pencil and paper. So he infuriated his mom! He was in Kollege at 15 and just got married a month ago at 21.

I wasn't even house broken at 21.

Hug them kids any of you have! They ain't little fer long my friends...

 

[Anu]

I can relate, totally. Thank you for bragging up your son! Now I won't stand out so much, lol.

My son COMPLETELY got his Math Genes (jeans?) from his mother's side. He was homeskooled, so he was taught 99% by my wife. He's also like my brother, in that he can figure out the answer in his head faster than using a pencil and paper. So he infuriated his mom! He was in Kollege at 15 and just got married a month ago at 21.

I wasn't even house broken at 21.

Hug them kids any of you have! They ain't little fer long my friends...

I concur completely, off they go in no-time.

 

[FarmerTan]

There's probably an Algebraic equation for it.

I was SO ADHD and dyslexic it drove me nuts. And my poor teachers.

Remember those questions about Jimmy is twice as old as his sister but 2 years younger than his own grandma?

Or a bus leaves the station in Boston and a train leaves one in New York at the same time, headed for DC..... and my head is spinning cuz I missed my plane!


One of my best buds is a Math Teacher, and his wife chose to homeskool his brats. There is not enough money in the entire world to make me want to teach skool. If you folks reading this that believe in the power of prayer, PLEASE take a minute to pray for the teachers. It is a sad werld in the Publik Skool Sistem.