TELEVISION
About
Algebra I is an entirely new course designed to meet the concerns of both students and their parents. These 36 accessible lectures make the concepts of first-year algebra - including variables, order of operations, and functions-easy to grasp. For anyone wanting to learn algebra from the beginning, or for anyone needing a thorough review, Professor James A. Sellers will prove to be an ideal tutor.
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Episodes
1. An Introduction to the Course
30m
Professor Sellers introduces the general topics and themes for the course, describing his approach and recommending a strategy for making the best use of the lessons and supplementary workbook. Warm up with some simple problems that demonstrate signed numbers and operations.
2. Order of Operations
30m
The order in which you do simple operations of arithmetic can make a big difference. Learn how to solve problems that combine adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, as well as raising numbers to various powers. These same concepts also apply when you need to simplify algebraic expressions, making it critical to master them now.
3. Percents, Decimals, and Fractions
30m
Continue your study of math fundamentals by exploring various procedures for converting between percents, decimals, and fractions. Professor Sellers notes that it helps to see these procedures as ways of presenting the same information in different forms.
4. Variables and Algebraic Expressions
30m
Advance to the next level of problem solving by using variables as the building blocks to create algebraic expressions, which are combinations of mathematical symbols that might include numbers, variables, and operation symbols. Also, learn some tricks for translating the language of problems (phrases in English) into the language of math (algebraic expressions).
5. Operations and Expressions
30m
Discover that by following basic rules on how to treat coefficients and exponents, you can reduce very complicated algebraic expressions to much simpler ones. You start by using the commutative property of multiplication to rearrange the terms of an expression, making combining them relatively easy.
6. Principles of Graphing in 2 Dimensions
30m
Using graph paper and pencil, begin your exploration of the coordinate plane, also known as the Cartesian plane. Learn how to plot points in the four quadrants of the plane, how to choose a scale for labeling the x and y axes, and how to graph a linear equation.
7. Solving Linear Equations, Part 1
30m
In this lesson, work through simple one- and two-step linear equations, learning how to isolate the variable by different operations. Professor Sellers also presents a word problem involving a two-step equation and gives tips for how to solve it.
8. Solving Linear Equations, Part 2
30m
Investigating more complicated examples of linear equations, learn that linear equations fall into three categories. First, the equation might have exactly one solution. Second, it might have no solutions at all. Third, it might be an identity, which means every number is a solution.
9. Slope of a Line
30m
Explore the concept of slope, which for a given straight line is its rate of change, defined as the rise over run. Learn the formula for calculating slope with coordinates only, and what it means to have a positive, negative, and undefined slope.
10. Graphing Linear Equations, Part 1
30m
Use what you've learned about slope to graph linear equations in the slope-intercept form, y = mx + b, where m is the slope, and b is the y intercept. Experiment with examples in which you calculate the equation from a graph and from a table of pairs of points.
Extended Details
- SeriesGreat Courses
- Closed CaptionsEnglish