Next time you are trying algebra and wondering why we have to use all those letters, think about Benjamin Franklin! Apparently he disliked some letters so much he wanted to remove them from the alphabet!! He could not understand why you needed two letters which made the same sound. For example, why have C when all the sounds it makes can be covered by S or K. He actually would have liked to get rid of J, Q, W, X and Y as well. Imagine algebra with no x’s or y’s!!
However, the alphabet would have been no shorter as he wanted to introduce another 6 letters. These included one to replace the “sh” sound and one that makes a soft “o” sound!
Algebra is much easier, you don’t need to use nearly as many letters. To help you understand it more, try Part 2 of our “How to” Algebra guides. This section provides guidance on power and roots, and explains how to expand single, double and triple brackets. There are example questions for you to try at the end of the powerpoint, and answers are included so you can check your understanding.
Click on the picture below to view our guide.
Come back and check our blog page for more resources to help you improve your understanding of different topics in various subjects. Part 3 of our “How to work with Algebra” guide will be out next week, with support on factorising expressions.
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