College Algebra & Trigonometry, 2018a

Chapter 1
Algebra Review
This College Algebra text will cover a combination of classical algebra and analytic
geometry, with an introduction to the transcendental exponential and logarithmic
functions. There are also chapters devoted to the theory of functions,
combinatorics and trigonometry. If mathematics is the language of science, then
algebra is the grammar of that language. Like grammar, algebra provides a structure
to mathematical notation, in addition to its uses in problem solving and its
ability to change the appearance of an expression without changing the value.
1.1 Algebraic Simplification
When algebraic techniques are presented as skills in isolation, they are much simpler
to understand and practice. However the problem solving process in any
context involves deciding which skills to use when. Most College Algebra students
will have practiced problems in the form:
(x +7)(x − 2) =?
or
(2x +1) 2 =?
The problems in this section deal with a combination of these processes which
are often encountered as parts of more complex problems.
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