Unit 3
Basic Algebra

An algebraic expression is an equation in which at least one of the numerical values is unknown and is represented by a letter.

The process of substituting letters for numbers in a mathematical equation is called “generalizing the solution.” In mathematics, generalizing a solution means generating a proof that demonstrates that the relationship always holds if the defined conditions are met. As the topics addressed in this course are not advanced ones, we will not require proofs.

Objectives

After completing this review, you should feel quite comfortable

1. performing basic arithmetic operations on algebraic expressions.
2. factoring algebraic expressions.
3. performing basic arithmetic operations on fractional algebraic expressions.
4. interpreting arithmetic and algebraic expressions involving exponents, and performing basic operations on exponential expressions.