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Algebra is built on the idea of using symbols to represent unknown or changeable quantities. A variable is a symbol, usually a letter such as \(x\) or \(y\), that stands in for a v...
A linear equation is one in which the highest power of the variable is 1; its graph is a straight line, and its general form is \(ax + b = 0\). The goal when solving such an equati...
A polynomial is an expression made up of variables and coefficients combined using addition, subtraction, and multiplication, where every exponent on a variable is a non-negative i...
A system of equations is a collection of two or more equations that share the same variables, and its solution is the set of values that satisfies every equation in the system at t...
Exponents obey a handful of rules that simplify many calculations. The product rule states that when powers share the same base, their exponents are added: \(a^m \cdot a^n = a^{m+n...
A function is a relation that assigns exactly one output value to every input value. If \(f(x) = x^2\), then each value of \(x\) produces exactly one value of \(f(x)\). The vertica...
A logarithm is the inverse of exponentiation. The statement \(\log_b(x) = y\) means exactly the same thing as \(b^y = x\), answering the question: to what power must the base \(b\)...