Two of the terms involve \(x\) and two involve \(y\). Now we can combine the \(x\) terms and combine the \(y\) terms to get \(3x + 2y\).

For ax 2 + bx + c = 0, (α, β) = [–b ± √(b 2 – 4ac)]/2ac, where α and β are the roots of the equation. Sum of roots = –b/a Product of roots = c/a If roots of a quadratic equation are given, then the ...

Substitution means putting numbers in place of letters to calculate the value of an expression. The bracket has been worked out first. \(2 + (-8)^2 = 2 + 64\). \(-8^2\) means \(-8 \times -8\), which ...

SANTA CRUZ – Instead of shooting paint-ball guns with friends or loafing at home, 15-year-old Nash McQuaide has spent a chunk of summer break hunkered down trying to solve algebraic equations.

Parsing algebraic expressions is always a pain. If you need to compute, say, 2+4*2, the answer should be the same as (2 + (4 *2)), not ((2 + 4) * 2) — in other words, the right answer is 10, not 12.

You scrambled up a Rubik's cube, and now you want to put it back in order. What sequence of moves should you make? Surprise: You can answer this question with modern algebra. Most folks who have been ...

History is full of backstabbing rivalries: Edison and Tesla, Harding and Kerrigan, Tupac and Biggie. No less dramatic was a 16th-century conflict between Italian mathematicians Gerolamo Cardano, a ...

Courtney Gibbons is affiliated with the Association for Women in Mathematics and the American Mathematical Society. You might remember learning about the quadratic formula to figure out the solutions ...