Rules of Exponents

By Mary Jane Sterling Part of the Algebra Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet Exponents are shorthand for repeated multiplication. The rules for performing operations involving exponents allow you to change multiplication and division expressions with the same base to something simpler. Remember that in xa the x is the base and the a is the exponent. Assume that neither x nor y are equal to zero:

Selected Math Formulas Step by Step

By Mary Jane Sterling Part of the Algebra Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet Algebraic formulas make life (and algebra) simpler. You save time by not having to perform more complicated tasks. When using the formulas, use the appropriate rules for simplifying algebraicexpressions. Also watch out for pitfalls; to help you, an asterisk (*) appears beside steps where errors are easy to make.

How to Add and Subtract with Powers

To add or subtract with powers, both the variables and the exponents of the variables must be the same. You perform the required operations on the coefficients, leaving the variable and exponent as they are. When adding or subtracting with powers, the terms that combine always have exactly the same variables with exactly the same powers. Example 1: x + x + x = 3x Because the variables are the same (x) and the powers are the same (there are no exponents, so the exponents must be 1), you can add the variables. Example 2:

Because the variables are the same (x) and the powers are the same (2), you can perform the required operations on the variables. Example 3:

Although the variables are the same (x), the powers are not the same (1, 2, 3, and 4). You can'tsimplify these terms because only the variables are the same, and both the variables and the powers need to be the same. Example 4:

Sometimes not all of the variables and powers will be the same you may encounter a problem that has several groups of variables and powers that are not the same. In this case, you only add or subtract terms whose variables and powers are the same. (Notice that the exponents are listed in order from highest to lowest. This is a common practice to make answers easy to compare.)

How to Divide with the Power of Zero

Well, it doesnt mean x times zero, so the answer isnt zero. x represents some unknown real number; it just cant be zero. To understand how this works, use the following rule for division of exponentialexpressions involving zero. Any number to the power of zero equals one, as long as the base number is not zero. For example, to divide

use the rule for dividing exponential expressions, which says that if the base is the same, subtract the two exponents in the order that theyre given. Doing this, you find that the answer is

This is true of all numbers that can be written as a division problem, which means that its true for all numbers except thos e with a base of zero. See how this power of zero works:

Notice that the x and z, each with their zero exponents, then become ones. And when you multiply by 1, the value is unchanged.

Mathematical Place Value

By Mark Zegarelli Part of the Basic Math & Pre-Algebra Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet Our number system (Hindu-Arabic) has ten familiar digits, 0 to 9. Numbers higher than 9 are made using place value, which assigns a digit a greater or lesser value depending on where it shows up in a number. For example, 3,000 + 600 + 10 + 9 + 0.8 + 0.04 + 0.002 = 3,619.842 Thousands 3 Hundreds 6 Tens 1 Ones 9 Decimal Point . Tenths 8 Hundredths 4 Thousandths 2

Eight Basic Algebraic Curves

By Mary Jane Sterling Part of the Algebra II For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Algebra is all about graphing relationships, and the curve is one of the most basic shapes used. Here's a look at eight of the most frequently used graphs.

How to Use the Order of Operations

Follow the order of operations with each algebra problem you solve. The order of operations in algebra is important if you want to find the correct answer. You first work through any groupingsymbols, then exponents or roots, then multiplication, division, addition, and finally subtraction. Practice following the order of operations by solving this example problem: 2 + 3 (5 1)= ? 1. Solve expressions contained within grouping symbols. Subtract the 1 from the 5 in the parenthesis to get 4. Now the problem looks like this: 2 + 3 (4) = ? 2. Solve terms with exponents or square roots Raise the 3 to the second power to get 9. Now the problem looks like this: 2 + 9(4) = ? 3. Solve expressions that require multiplication or division. Multiply the 9 and 4 to get 36. Now the problem looks like this: 2 + 36 = ? 4. Solve expressions that require addition or subtraction. Add 2 and 36. Your final answer is 38. You may encounter an expression with no grouping symbols, such as 4 4 2 + 5 2 = ?. To make following t he order of operations easier, you can add your own grouping symbols, which makes the order clearer. Now the problem looks like this: 4 (4 2) + (5 2) = ?. An easy way to remember the order of operations is to remember the phrase, " Please Excuse My DearAunt Sally," which means Parentheses/grouping symbols Exponents or roots Multiply Divide AddSubtract.
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Grouping Symbols in Algebra

Grouping symbols organize an algebra problem that contains multiple groups. Algebraic grouping symbols parentheses, brackets, braces, radicals, and fraction lines show where a group starts and ends, and help to establish the order used to apply math operations. Terms inside a grouping symbol have to be operated upon before they can be acted upon by anything outside the grouping symbol. All the bracket types have equal weight; none is more powerful or actsdifferently from the others. If a problem contains grouped items, do whats inside a grouping symbol first, then follow the order of operations (exponents/roots, multiply, divide, add, subtract). The grouping symbols are as follows:

Parentheses ( ): Parentheses are the most commonly used symbols for grouping. Brackets [ ] and Braces { }: Brackets and braces are also used frequently for grouping and have the same effect as parentheses. Using the different types of symbols helps when theres more than one grouping in a problem. Its easier to tell where a group starts and ends.

Radical : Also called the square root symbol, this is used for finding roots.

Fraction Line (Vinculum) : The fraction line also acts as a grouping symbol. Everything above the line in the numerator is grouped together, and everything below the line in the denominator is grouped together.

How to Raise Powers of Powers

When raising a power to a power in an exponential expression, you find the new power by multiplying the two powers together. For example, in the following expression, x to the power of 3 is being raisedto the power of 6, and so you would multiply 3 and 6 to find the new power.

In all its glory, here is the Algebraic Rule for Raising a Power to a Power:

When the whole expression,

is raised to the mth power, the new power of x is determined by multiplying n and m together. These examples show you how raising a power to a power works: Example 1: Each factor in the parentheses is raised to the power outside the parentheses.

Example 2: In the following equation, notice that the order of operations is observed. First you raise the expressions in the parentheses to their powers. Then multiply the two expressions together. You get to see multiplying exponents (raising a power to a power) and adding exponents (multiplying same bases).

Example 3: Next is an example with negative exponents.

Solving an Algebraic Equation

By Mark Zegarelli Part of the Basic Math & Pre-Algebra Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet An algebraic equation is an equation with at least one variable. Apply operations equally to both sides to modify an equation. For example, you can add 2 to both sides, subtract x from both sides or multiply both sides by 2. To solve an algebraic equation, apply operations that isolate x on one side of the equation and put a number on the other side. Here are the standard steps for a problem such as 10x 6 = 7x + 9: 1. Add or subtract to move all the constants to one side of the equation. If you add 6 to both sides, the 6 cancels out on the left: 10x = 7x + 15. 2. Add or subtract to move all the variables to the other side. If you subtract 7x from both sides, the 7x cancels out on the right: 3x = 15. 3. Divide both sides by the coefficient (the number next to the variable) to isolate x. Dividing both sides by 3 gives you the answer x = 5.

Raise Binomials to a Power

By Mary Jane Sterling Part of the Algebra II Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet A binomial is a mathematical expression that has two terms. In algebra, people frequently raise binomials to powers in order to solve equations. Here are some examples: