Algebra
From Conservapedia
Algebra is a major branch of mathematics that analyzes the relationships between quantities or items. In higher math the principle fields of algebra are linear algebra, which focuses on matrices, and group theory.[1]
Basic Algebra
Algebra is a generalization of arithmetic in which letters stand for numbers in order to accomplish this purpose. Ordinary arithmetic deals with specific numbers, treated individually: 4 + 7 = 11.
Algebra generalizes these operations by using variables or letters instead of specific numbers. These letters are called unknowns. For example,
- x + y = 11
By using unknowns, algebra can go beyond individual number facts and express general relationships between sets of numbers. Thus, the equation above represents every pair of numbers that add up to 11:
- x could be 4 and y could be 7
- x could be 5 and y could be 6
- x could be 10 and y could be 1.
Note that this list is infinitely long, because x could be 12 and y could be -1, for example. Moreover, x could be 10.5 and y could be .5.
Notes and references
- ↑ The name algebra comes from the Arabic word al jebr, which means reduction or "reunion of broken parts" Algebra as mentioned in a book Hisab al-jabr w'al-muqabala translated as Science of the Reunion and the Opposition. This text was written in in about 830 AD by Mohammad ibn-Musa al-Khwarizmi of Baghdad. See the Biography of Al-Khwarizmi
