Basic Algebra Homework

Basic Algebra

Homework Assignment – Chapter 1

Study suggestions:

1)   Work on the assignments in frequent, short study sessions, 20 – 30 minutes each.

2)   Do some problems every day

3)   Treat the text like you would a cookbook –

a) Read completely through a section of the book

b) Go back and closely examine a few of the example problems

c) Try a few assigned problems, checking for correct answers each problem

d) Refer back to the text if you are unsure of what you should be doing or if you are frequently incorrect.

4)   If you get frustrated, STOP!

a) Take a break and get your mind off math for a while. Reward yourself for having displayed discipline and fortitude with something nice like chocolate, a relaxing hot bath, playtime with your kids, watching TV, etc.

b) When you return to continue, first do some problems from a previous section that you do well to restore your confidence, then begin again with the problem you left off with.

Algebra Homework

Algebra Homework Problems from the textbook will be collected and stored in individual folders. These assignments will be checked for effort only (completeness, neatness and organization) — we are not able to check all textbook problems for correct solutions (most problems have answers listed in the back of the book). Many of the problems on quizzes and exams will be problems taken from these assignments.

1)    Just like your writing assignments, put your name in the upper right hand corner of the page. We will not make much effort to “track down” unidentified finished assignments (UFA’s).

2)    Write the chapter/section number and the title of the section at the beginning of the assignment (i.e 3.4 Translating Words into Algebraic Expressions).

3)    Each section of problems in a problem set is usually preceded by some instructions in italics (i.e. List the terms of the following expressions). Write these instructions down before you begin to do the problems.

4)    Unless it is a lengthy word problem, copy the problem completely. Check for accuracy before you begin to think about doing the work.

5)    Show as much work as possible as you do the problem.

6)    If you do not know how to begin, or you get stuck in the middle of the problem, look in the section of the text you are working in and try to find a similar example.

7)    You can check answers in the back of the book to see if you are correct—but only after completing several problems first! We will discuss “checking your own work” throughout the semester.

8)    If you complete a problem and then you did not arrive at the correct answer, do not erase! Simply draw a large “X” through the incorrect work and start the problem over again (see #4, above). This will allow you to compare your second attempt with the first and allow you to learn from mistakes. You cannot learn from mistakes if you erase them.