[Sort of HW help request] Remembering math from 7~+ years ago... Help?

[DeltrusDisc]

Being that Business Math was my last "math" course (and not really typical math) one year ago, and the last time I took an algebraic-style course was in 2006, I'm having some trouble remembering how to do even some of the simplest of things.

I do have a goal though, being that I don't want to be in a developmental math course (MTH-102 Basic Algebra) for 16 weeks and would rather just test out of it, I'm hoping to sort of crash course myself and be free, for now.

Onto the main quick question, however:

I forget exactly how an equation like this is done, and Google takes out the symbols, so it's not helping...

|2(-6)|

If I recall right, the | | signs mean the distance it is from 0, but the number automatically becomes positive, even if it is negative, yes? So for the above, it should become |-12| and thus, the answer would be 12, correct?

Next up, I have a question on when to plug in the "square root" symbol in a calculator. I have a problem here that is 135-(square root symbol goes here)18*35-65/130

I just tried plugging in the numbers in that order, putting the square root symbol after - in my computer's calculator, and I got -495.5. I have a feeling this is wrong.

Any help would be appreciated!

[Rukentuts]

If I recall right, the | | signs mean the distance it is from 0, but the number automatically becomes positive, even if it is negative, yes? So for the above, it should become |-12| and thus, the answer would be 12, correct?

Correct.

| | = absolute value if I remember correctly. Do the multiplication first, then the absolute value of the product.

2 * -6 = -12

abs(-12) = 12

[Reeve]

| | = absolute value if I remember correctly. Do the multiplication first, then the absolute value of the product.

2 * -6 = -12

abs(-12) = 12

Yes, that's what I remember.

[DeltrusDisc]

Okay thanks folks, at least my memory is serving me right to some degree.

Any help on the square root symbol question?

[Reeve]

Well Square Root is an exponent, so PEMDAS says it should be calculated before multiplying the 18 and 35. Sqrt18*35 would be 148.492424.

[DeltrusDisc]

Well Square Root is an exponent, so PEMDAS says it should be calculated before multiplying the 18 and 35. Sqrt18*35 would be 148.492424.

What if the symbol goes over the rest of the problem like so?

[Rukentuts]

Do what's inside the sqrt function and then hit that button.

Unless you have a calculator where you can specify the open and close of the function, but if it's a one-hit-calculate then do what I said above.

[Reeve]

Do what's inside the sqrt function and then hit that button.

Unless you have a calculator where you can specify the open and close of the function, but if it's a one-hit-calculate then do what I said above.

Yeah that, or alternatively put parentheses around that stuff and do the sqrt operation on that.

[DeltrusDisc]

Ah, okay thanks folks!

[Reeve]

Yeah that, or alternatively put parentheses around that stuff and do the sqrt operation on that.

Simplifying it would be 135 - sqrt(629.5) or ~110

[Deleted]

What if the symbol goes over the rest of the problem like so?

Then you calculate everything under the square root before doing the root.

[Obsession]

https://www.khanacademy.org/math/algebra http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/

I would strongly recommend you go to one of these sites as they will go into more detail and probably explain it better than what people here will do. There are more like it, but these ones have been my favorite when I want something explained in a different way.

[DeltrusDisc]

If my math is correct, then the answer rounded to the nearest thousandth to that equation is 109.911

---------- Post added 2013-01-30 at 03:13 PM ----------

https://www.khanacademy.org/math/algebra http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/

I would strongly recommend you go to one of these sites as they will go into more detail and probably explain it better than what people here will do. There are more like it, but these ones have been my favorite when I want something explained in a different way.

Thanks for the link! I bookmarked it for the future. The reason I asked here is because I've always learned better by asking specific questions and having answers given for them, specifically, but not general answers/questions.

[Reeve]

My calculator gives me 109.9101604. Either way, you can just round it to 109.91 probably and call it a day.

[jaymzkerten]

To make sure your answer is as accurate as possible you might want to try avoiding rounding until the very last answer, I got a slightly different answer (109.910), and I think that's because after you did the sq root you rounded that answer before you subtracted it from 135.

As a tip (but ignore this if it is too confusing to remember right) after you do the sq root on your calc you can subtract the 135 from the sq root. This will give you a negative answer, but using your knowledge of absolute values from the other equation should help you get past that. :P

135 - 25.08983858... = 109.91016142
25.08983858... - 135 = -109.91016142

---------- Post added 2013-01-30 at 09:55 AM ----------

My calculator gives me 109.9101604. Either way, you can just round it to 109.91 probably and call it a day.

The page says to round to the nearest thousandth so they might want to include the extra 0 just to be safe, depends on the instructor.

[DeltrusDisc]

Alright thanks guys. Just got back and was looking at my numbers and can't figure out how I came up with the 109.911.

Thanks for all the help!