Who wants to do more math with me?

I'm stuck with a problem. No matter how many times I try this thing I can't get it right.

I could use a little guidance, please.

(5-6)squared - 2 l3-7l
89-3 x 5^2

I hope I wrote it so it makes sense. The book has the answer as -1/2.

Originally Posted by Essayons89

I'm stuck with a problem. No matter how many times I try this thing I can't get it right.

I could use a little guidance, please.

(5-6)squared - 2 l3-7l
89-3 x 5^2

I hope I wrote it so it makes sense. The book has the answer as -1/2.

Click to expand...

so if I'm reading this correctly: you are squaring the quantity of 5-6, which is negative 1, squared is 1. Then you are subtracting the quantity of 2 times 3-7. so 3-7 is negative 4 times 2 is negative 8. 1 minus negative 8 (the minus sign and the negative sign makes it a plus sign) is 9.

I'm not quite getting the bottom: is it the quantity of 89-3 times 5 squared? that's a really big number 2150 to be exact, and I know 9 does not go into 2150 2 times

The lines that the 3-7 are in are supposed to indicate absolute value (I think) l3-7l. Is it the absolute value of the difference between 3-7 or is the 2 distrubuted first?

The bottom part is 89-3 times 5 squared. So, 89-3(25)= 89-75=14. The top part of the problem is what is killing me (I think).

You've got it. The top is

1 - 8

and the bottom is 14... therefore -7/14 = -1/2

Thank you!

It's always the little mistakes that kill you with math.

I saw what I was doing wrong.

Yea absolute value is one of those things that would preceed everything pretty much, except for parenthesis...so always do whatever is in the absolute value first and if you get a negative number just make it positive. I think absolute values confuse people a lot, when in fact it's very simple. Maybe professors make absolute value more confusing than it is.. Math sux!! it's such a pain in the butt..So glad I never have to take math ever in my life again..Good luck Is that for algebra? I hated algebra more than I hated multivariable calculus! Such an annoying subject..

I'm actually enjoying math. Way back when I went through high school I struggled with it and never did very well. Over the last two terms I scored an "A" in both algebra 1 and 2.

Precalc, next term, should be my last math class. I don't believe I have to take any when I move on to work on my BA.

Originally Posted by Essayons89

I'm actually enjoying math. Way back when I went through high school I struggled with it and never did very well. Over the last two terms I scored an "A" in both algebra 1 and 2.

Precalc, next term, should be my last math class. I don't believe I have to take any when I move on to work on my BA.

Click to expand...

So did I, I almost failed algebra in high school...And then in college, I did fine in Calc 1 and 2, I got B's easily, but I go to Georgia Tech which is an engineering school, calculus here is HELL, so I am very content with how I did in my math classes in college ...I dunno I just feel like when you are in algebra the importance of little details is exaggerated and teachers are so picky, they will give impossible equations and the whole focus is just to see if you can count in the end. And that simply requires concentration, which is a big problem for a teenager with a severe case of ADD such as myself, back in high school Not that I feel like I could do it now either..

I am SO OVER algebra. And this is a developmental class to boot. I don't take college algebra until the summer.

I'm doing rational inequalities. BLECH. Not only do I NOT get them- my husband (who can help me) is gone all week. Add to the fact that I've been sick since Thursday and have this cough that I just want to go AWAY. I don't want to do it, but I guess I'll sit down and try to wade through it.

I can post a question on our message board (it's an online class) and I might just do that too.

And why am I taking it? Because the nursing school I want to get into requires all the math. And from what somebody told me- we don't even have to USE math to do dosage calculations- the computer does it all for you. SO what's the point?

Cheryl