Math Strategies and Tactics

Tactic 1: Draw a diagram

Tactic 2: If a diagram has been drawn to scale, trust it (unless it says Note: figure not drawn
to scale)
Tactic 3: If a diagram has been drawn to scale, redraw it
Tactic 4: Add a line to a diagram
Tactic 5: Test the Choices Starting with B or C
Tactic 6: Replace Variables with Numbers
Tactic 7: Choose an Appropriate Number
Tactic 8: Eliminate Absurd Choices, and Guess
Tactic 9: Subtract to Find Shaded Regions
Tactic 10: Don’t Do More Than You Have To
Tactic 11: Pay Attention to Units
Tactic 12: Use Your Calculator
Tactic 13: Know When Not to Use Your Calculator
Tactic 14: Systematically Make a List
Tactic 15: Trust All Grids and Charts
Tactic 16: Add Equations

Reviewing Mathematics

Key Fact A1:

For any number a, exactly one of the following is true:
 a is negative
 a=0
 a is positive

Key Fact A2:

For any number a and a positive b:
a =b a=b or a = -b
<b -b< a< b
>b a< -b or a > b

Key Fact A3:

For any number a: a x 0= o. Conversely, if the product of two or more numbers is 0, at least
one of them must be 0.
If ab= 0, then a= 0 or b= 0
If xyz= 0, then x= 0 or y= 0 or z= 0

Key Fact A4:

The product and quotient of two positive numbers or two negative numbers are positive; the
product and quotient of a positive number and a negative number is negative.

Key Fact A5:

 The product of an even number of negative factors is positive
 The product of an odd number of negative factors is odd
Key Fact A6:
 The reciprocal of any nonzero number a is
 The product of any number and its reciprocal is 1.

Key Fact A7:

 The sum of two positive numbers is positive
 The sum of two negative numbers is negative
 To find the sum of a positive and negative number, find the difference of their
absolute values and use the sign of the number with the larger absolute value

Key Fact A8:

The sum of any number and its opposite is 0.

Key Fact A9:

To subtract signed numbers, change the problem to an addition problem by changing the sign
(KCC).

Key Fact A10:

Every integer has a finite set of factors (or divisors) and an infinite set of multiples
Ex: 2, 3,4,5,7,11,13,17

Key Fact A11:

Every integer greater than one that is not a prime can be written as a product of primes.

Key Fact A12:

The product of the GCF and LCM of two numbers is equal to the product of the two numbers

Key Fact A13:

To find the GCF and LCM of two or more integers, first get their prime factorization

Key Fact A14:

For any number b: b =b

For any number b and integer n>1: b =b x b….where b is used as a factor n times

Key Fact A15:

For any numbers b and c and positive integers m and n:
 bm=
 b
b
 (b ) =b
 b c = (bc)
 b
c

Key Fact A16:

For any positive number n:
  0 =0
 If a is positive, a is positive
 If a is negative a is positive if n is even, and negative if n is odd

English Words Mathematical Meaning Symbol

Is, was, will be, had, has, will Equals =
have, is equal to, is the same
as

Plus, more than, increased Addition +

by, added to, exceeds,
received, got older than,
farther than, greater than

Minus, fewer, less than, Subtraction -

difference, decreased by,
subtracted from, younger
than, gave, lost

Times, of product, multiplied Multiplication x

by

Divided by, quotient, per, for Division

More than, greater than Inequality >

At Least Inequality >

Fewer than, less than Inequality <

At most Inequality <

What, how many, etc. Unknown Variable X (or some other variable)