Mastering the Formal Geometry Proof
Suppose you need to solve a crime mystery. You survey the crime scene, gather the facts, and write them down in your memo pad. To solve the crime, you take the known facts and, step by step, show who committed [more…]
Sizing Up the Area of a Polygon
Not only can polygons be classified by the number of sides they have and by their angles, but they can also be grouped according to some of their qualities. Polygons can have three personality characteristics [more…]
Understanding Algebraic Variables
In algebra, variables are placeholder letters (capitalized and lowercase) that represent the unknown, or what you're solving for. This video shows you what variables can look like and what they mean. Understanding [more…]Making Geometry Easier
The first rule of life? Life (as well as geometry) can be difficult. But why make it more difficult than it has to be? Here are 11 tried-and-true tips to make your forays into the world of geometry as [more…]
Measuring and Making Angles
On a map, you trace your route and come to a fork in the road. Two diverging roads split from a common point and form an angle. The point at which the roads diverge is the [more…]
How to Solve Simple Linear Equations in Algebra
Solving linear equations in algebra is done with multiplication, division, or reciprocals. Using reciprocals, or multiplicative inverse, as well as multiplying and dividing with certain formulas, you can [more…]
How to Multiply and Divide Fractions in Algebra
This video shows how to multiply and divide fractions by multiplying the numerators and denominators - even if the fractions have unlike denominators. In algebra or basic math, cancelling out equal factors [more…]Classifying Three Types of Triangles
Triangles are classified according to the length of their sides or the measure of their angles. These classifications come in threes, just like the sides and angles themselves. That is, a triangle has [more…]
Summarizing Categorical Data in Statistics
Categorical data capture qualities or characteristics about the individual, such as a person's eye color, gender, political party, or opinion on some issue [more…]
How to Solve Quadratic Equations with the Square Root Rule
In algebra, you can solve a quadratic equation by applying the square root rule. With a squared term and a constant, the special quadratic equation is easily solved. [more…]
Understanding the Vocabulary of Algebra
Equations, operations, variables, constants . . . . Knowing the symbols and expressions used in algebra makes understanding algebra easier. This video explains some of the common phrases and symbols you'll [more…]How SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Works
The developers of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) made every effort to make the software easy to use. This prevents you from making mistakes or even forgetting something. That's [more…]
How to Calculate Limits with Algebra
Calculus lets you find lengths and areas that involve curves by zooming into the curve until it appears to be a straight line. Once you have a straight line, you can use algebra's slope formula to learn [more…]Raising the Bar on Bar Graphs in Statistics
A bar graph, or bar chart, is perhaps the most common data display used by the media. Like a pie chart, a bar graph breaks categorical data down by group, showing how many are in each group. A bar graph [more…]
How to Use UnFOIL to Factor Quadratic Equations
Using the unFOIL method to factor quadratic equations into two binomials requires many steps. Prime factorization and order of decreasing powers are two parts of the unFOIL method, which helps you solve [more…]Statistics: More than Just Numbers
Most statisticians don't want statistics to be thought of as "just statistics." While the rest of the world views them as such, statisticians don't think of themselves as number crunchers; more often, [more…]
Defining the Radian in Trigonometry
A person's introduction to angles is usually in terms of degrees. You probably have a good idea of what a 45-degree angle looks like. And even most middle-school students know that a triangle consists [more…]
Discovering Pythagorean Triples
The Pythagorean Theorem is certainly one of the most famous theorems in all of mathematics. Mathematicians and lay people alike have studied it for centuries, and people have proved it in many different [more…]
How to Use the Quadratic Formula to Solve Algebraic Equations
Using the quadratic formula to solve equations may bring one, two, or no algebraic solutions. The quadratic formula is special to quadratic equations, which can have fractions, radicals, or neverending [more…]
How to Integrate by Parts
Integrating by parts is a complicated calculus procedure. This video uses example problems to show you how to put the calculus formulas to work to integrate by parts. [more…]
How to Apply Order of Operations in Algebra
The order of operations in algebra means solving first for exponents or roots, then multiplication, division, addition, and last for subtraction. The steps for the order of operations also require attention [more…]
How to Use Prime Factorization on Composite Numbers
In algebra, composite numbers can be broken into prime numbers by prime factorization. You can solve for prime factors without a calculator or list of primes. This video shows how to use prime factorization [more…]Mathematical Matryoshka: Counting Numbers, Integers, Rational Numbers, and Real Numbers
When you first start dealing with numbers, you learn about the four main sets, or groups, of numbers, which, like Russian matryoshka dolls, nest inside one another: [more…]
How to Use FOIL to Distribute Two Binomials
Use FOIL to distribute two binomials. The FOIL method — which stands for first, outer, inner, and last — takes two binomials and multiplies them for a single quadratic equation. Solving for binomials with [more…]Figuring Out What Probability Means
Probabilities come in many different disguises. Some of the terms people use for probability are chance, likelihood, odds, percentage, and proportion. But the basic definition of [more…]
