Mary Jane Sterling - Algebra II Essentials For Dummies

Algebra II Essentials For Dummies

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2019932997

ISBN: 978-1-119-59087-3 (pbk); ISBN: 978-1-119-59085-9 (ePDF); ISBN: 978-1-119-59092-7 (ePub)

1. Chapter 8
2. Chapter 9

1. Chapter 5
2. Chapter 6
3. Chapter 7
4. Chapter 8
5. Chapter 10
6. Chapter 11
7. Chapter 12

Here you are, perusing a book on the essentials of Algebra II. Youll find here, as Joe Friday (star of the old Dragnet series) said, The facts, maam, just the facts. For those of you too young to remember Dragnet, just think of this essentials book as being the Twitter version not too detailed but with all the necessary information. In this book, you find the information you need with enough examples to show you the processes, but not a bunch of nitty-gritty details that tend to get in the way.

A book on Algebra II isnt a romance novel (although I do love math), and it isnt science fiction. You could think of this book as a cross between a travel guide and a mathematical laboratory manual. How do travel and math go together? Let me try some situations that may fit:

• You just finished working through Algebra I and feel eager to embark on a new adventure.
• You havent worked with algebra in a while, but math has always been your strength, so you think that a little prepping with some basic concepts will bring you up to speed.
• Youre helping a friend or family member with Algebra II and want just the most necessary information no frills or extra side-trips.

Even though Ive pared the material in this book down to the basics, I havent lost sight of the fact that other math areas are what drive Algebra II. Algebra is the passport to studying calculus, trigonometry, number theory, geometry, and all sorts of good mathematics. Algebra is basic, and the algebra you find here will help you grow your skills and knowledge so you can do well in math courses and possibly pursue other math topics.

To help you navigate this book, I use the following conventions:

• I italicize special mathematical terms and define them right then and there so you dont have to search around.
• I use boldface text to indicate keywords in bulleted lists or the action parts of numbered steps. I describe many algebraic procedures in a step-by-step format and then use those steps in an example or two.

Algebra II is essentially a continuation of Algebra I, so I need to make some assumptions about readers of this book.

I assume that a person taking on Algebra II has a grasp of working with operations on signed numbers, simplifying radical expressions, and manipulating with rational terms. Another assumption I make is that your order of operations is in order. You should be able to work your way through algebraic equations and expressions using the ordering rules. I also assume that you know how to solve basic linear and quadratic equations and can make quick sketches of basic graphs. Even though I lightly cover these topics in this book, I assume that you have a general knowledge of the necessary procedures.

If you feel a bit over your head after reading through some chapters, you may want to refer to Algebra I For Dummies, 2nd Edition (Wiley), or Algebra II For Dummies (Wiley) for a more complete explanation of the basics. My feelings wont be hurt; I wrote those, too!

The icons that appear in this book are great for calling attention to the hot topics when doing algebra.

This icon provides you the rule or law or instruction on how to proceed whenever encountering the particular mathematical situation. The algebra rule given is the law it always applies and always must be followed.