Discussion 1 – Simplifying Expressions

Background

Welcometo College Algebra. In this course, the discussion forums will be usedin two ways, one to practice solving problems as a class. And two, touse writing about math to reinforce the concepts and further developquantitative literacy that will be helpful in your future career. Formore information on writing in a math class, read the following blog post (Links to an external site.).

Thefirst week of the course, we will be laying the foundation foralgebraic problem solving by reviewing basic arithmetic concepts such asorder of operations, negative and positive numbers, exponents, andsimplifying expressions. These concepts will be used to solve problemsas we move through each week of the course.

Prompt

Choose one of the problems listed below that covers week 1 concepts and reply.

NOTE: No more than 1student should respond to each problem as your initial post. The firststudent to post will get credit. If a student has already responded, youwill need to choose a different problem.

Initial Post Requirements

1) Solve the problem; show each step you took to find the answer and explain. Check your answer (if possible).

2) Write a short paragraph (100 +words) regarding your challenges/obstacles with Math or Algebra and theproblems solved this week. What did you find that was either easy ordifficult about solving this week’s discussion problems? What advice canyou share to overcome these challenges? Include IWG-style references.

Problems

• Add the polynomials:

1. 2x + 5 and 4x – 2
2. x^2 – 7x + 4 and x^2 + 8x – 1
3. 3x^2 + 5x + 5 and -6x^2 + 4x + 2
4. 4x + 3 and 2x + 9 and -3x – 4
5. 17x + 9 and -3x – 5 and -2x + 11

• Subtract the polynomials:

6. 6x + 4 and 2x – 8

7. 4x – 9 and 7x + 2

8. x^2 + 4x +7 and x^2 + 9x +3

• Find the product:

9. (x + 2)(x + 6)

10. (x – 4)(x + 2)

11. (x + 9)(x – 1)

12. (x + 5)(x – 5)

13. (n – 6)(n + 2)

14. (b + 2)(b – 1)

15. (x + 14)(x – 2)

16. (x – 9)(x – 9)

17. (x -7)(x + 7)

18. (x + 2)(x – 8)

19. (x + 11)(x – 2)

20. (x – 10)(x + 4)

21. (b + 5)(b – 11)

22. (n – 3)(n +10)

• Divide the monomials:

23. x^7$÷$x^3

24. x^4 ^$÷$x^11

25. x^2y^9 ^$÷$x^7y^2

26. x^3 ^$÷$x^5

27. n^12 ^$÷$n^4

28. x $÷$x^5

• Simplify the algebraic expression:

29. x^5*x^4

30. x^10*x^2

31. x^-3*x^7

32. x^5*x^-9

33. (x^4)^3

34. (x^2)^6

35. (x^5)^-2

• Solve the formula:

36. d = RT solve for d, if R = 30 and T = 2

37. I=prT solve for I, if p = 150, r = 0.2 and T = 3

38. P = 2L + 2W solve for P, if L = 4 and W = 12

39. P = 2l + 2W solve for P, if L = 10 and W = 8

40. A = LW solve for A, if L = 9 and W = 8

To receive full credit for your initial post, complete all of the steps. Remember to label your initial post with your name, problem number (Ex: Stringer Problem #34).

Reply Requirements

Post two replies according to thesyllabus requirements (this will total 3 posts for the week). Responsescan be addressed to both your initial thread and other threads.

Discussion Forum Instructions:

WHAT:You will be writing three or more discussion posts per week. Your mainpost must be two to three substantive paragraphs (150+total words) andinclude at least one IWG-formatted citation/reference. Please follow upwith two subsequent replies to colleagues. Each reply should consist of arelevant paragraph containing 50 words or more.

WHY:Discussionquestions are designed for you to demonstrate your knowledge andunderstanding of the weekly material. This forum provides an opportunityto develop ideas and concepts with your instructor and peers. Thisdiscussion format assists with development of communication skills andcritical thinking necessary for success in the modern workplace.

HOW:Your posts should be substantive, demonstrate independent thoughtrelevant to the topic, and encourage continued discussion. Please avoidsimply repeating previous posts and agreeing. Provide supportingevidence for your ideas and opinions through the use of personal or workexamples, relevant articles or websites, or concepts covered in theweek’s readings. Best practice: compose and save your discussion post ina word processing document, then copy and paste it in the DiscussionForum.

WHEN:For full credit, your first post must be made by Wednesday at 11:59p.m. (MT), and you must post the remaining two before Sunday at 11:59(MT). You are expected to participate in the ongoing discussion on at least two different days during the week.

Remember that part of the discussion grade is submitting on time andusing proper grammar, spelling, etc. You’re training to be aprofessional—write like it.