Key Concepts
Operation | Notation | Say: | The result is… |
---|---|---|---|
Addition | a+ba+b | aa plus bb | the sum of aa and bb |
Multiplication | a⋅b,(a)(b),(a)b,a(b) | a times b | the product of a and b |
Subtraction | a−b | a minus b | the difference of a and b |
Division | a÷b,a/b,ab,b¯)a | a divided by b | the quotient of a and b |
- Equality Symbol
- a=b is read as a is equal to b
- The symbol = is called the equal sign.
- Inequality
- [latex]a
- a is to the left of b on the number line
- a>b is read a is greater than b
- a is to the right of b on the number line
Algebraic Notation | Say |
---|---|
a=b | a is equal to b |
a≠b | a is not equal to b |
[latex]a | a is less than b |
a>b | a is greater than b |
a≤b | a is less than or equal to b |
a≥b | a is greater than or equal to b |
- Exponential Notation
- For any expression an is a factor multiplied by itself n times, if n is a positive integer.
- an means multiply n factors of a
- The expression of an is read a to the nth power.
Order of Operations When simplifying mathematical expressions perform the operations in the following order:
- Parentheses and other Grouping Symbols: Simplify all expressions inside the parentheses or other grouping symbols, working on the innermost parentheses first.
- Exponents: Simplify all expressions with exponents.
- Multiplication and Division: Perform all multiplication and division in order from left to right. These operations have equal priority.
- Addition and Subtraction: Perform all addition and subtraction in order from left to right. These operations have equal priority.
Glossary
- expressions
- An expression is a number, a variable, or a combination of numbers and variables and operation symbols.
- equation
- An equation is made up of two expressions connected by an equal sign.
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