Algebra : Form and Function

Algebra is fundamental to the working of modern society, yet its origins are as old as the beginnings of civilization. Algebraic equations describe the laws of science, the principles of engineering, and the rules of business. The power of algebra lies in its efficient symbolic representation of complex ideas, and this also presents the main difficulty in learning it. It is easy to forget the underlying structure of algebra and rely instead on a surface knowledge of algebraic manipulations.

•     A Balanced Approach: Form, Function, and Fluency- students given an ability to recognize algebraic form and an understanding of the purpose of different forms.

•     Restoring Meaning to Expressions and Equations- after introducing each type of function-linear, power, quadratic, exponential, polynomial- the authors study the basic forms of expressions.

•     Maintaining Manipulative Skills: Tool Section- placed at the end of chapters to which they are particularly pertinent