SANTA CRUZ – Instead of shooting paint-ball guns with friends or loafing at home, 15-year-old Nash McQuaide has spent a chunk of summer break hunkered down trying to solve algebraic equations.

Two of the terms involve \(x\) and two involve \(y\). Now we can combine the \(x\) terms and combine the \(y\) terms to get \(3x + 2y\).

Removing brackets is to multiply the term outside the brackets by each term inside - also known as the distributive law. Use FOIL to remove a pair of brackets then simplify by collecting like terms.

Algebra can be demystified with the right approach. Transforming word problems into mathematical expressions is crucial, alongside using formula sheets and colour-coding equations for clarity.

For ax 2 + bx + c = 0, (α, β) = [–b ± √(b 2 – 4ac)]/2ac, where α and β are the roots of the equation. Sum of roots = –b/a Product of roots = c/a If roots of a quadratic equation are given, then the ...

This jingle has helped generations of algebra students recall the quadratic formula that solves every equation of the form $latex ax^2+bx+c=0$. The formula is as ...

A UNSW Sydney mathematician has discovered a new method to tackle algebra's oldest challenge—solving higher polynomial equations. Polynomials are equations involving a variable raised to powers, such ...

Courtney Gibbons is affiliated with the Association for Women in Mathematics and the American Mathematical Society. You might remember learning about the quadratic formula to figure out the solutions ...

A mathematician has built an algebraic solution to an equation that was once believed impossible to solve. The equations are fundamental to maths as well as science, where they have broad applications ...