Algebra is really about two things. First, we learn to work with “unknown” factors, which we call variables. Variables show up in math expressions as letters, instead of numbers. A letter in a math expression means, “I can represent ANY number!” However, most of the time, there is only one number (or sometimes 2) that will make a math statement true. The practice of algebra involves finding the unknown numbers represented by variables.
Secondly, we learn an important skill when we practice algebra. This skill is called “generalization.” Up until now, math class has taught you how to work with numbers – how to add, subtract, multiply, divide and count with numbers. What your math teachers haven’t told you is that they’ve secretly been teaching you other math stuff as well, like how to write “equations,” rules about positives and negatives, and properties of mathematical operators. In algebra, we bring those skills out into the open. But instead of dealing with specific numbers, we’ll talk about rules and properties that can be applied to any number (including those pesky “unknowns”). This is called generalization.
The processes of finding unknowns and generalizing concepts will not only be VERY useful as you continue into high school mathematics, but it will also help you begin to understand and question the mathematics that you will encounter in everyday life. When we understand algebra, we can measure forces, distances, speed and even color (yes, I said color) using what we know, along with the ability to generalize and find unknowns. Math is all around us. It’s NOT just about numbers!
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Did you know?
A certain mathematical pattern, called the Fibonacci sequence, occurs naturally in literally thousands of places throughout God’s creation. Check out all of the examples on this page!
In the Book of Jeremiah, it says that God established the “fixed laws of heaven and earth.”