Recent content by alenglander

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    Trying to read my way through math & physics

    You're probably right. But I find that I learn differently than most people do, so I'd prefer to test it and find out myself. Anyway, if I find you're right it'll be very easy to switch to doing all the problems. But what about that list (which was the real point of my post)? Are there any...
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    Understanding Absolute Value in Algebra: |x|=+-x Explained

    First of all, it does say "square root of x", not (x^2)^1/2, I just haven't figured out yet how to write that with a square root sign! So according to what you're saying: If I have an equation, say x^2 = y, and I want to solve for x, which means taking the square of both sides, then I need to...
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    Trying to read my way through math & physics

    I am 21 and studying to be a psychologist. I am NOT studying to be a mathematician, or a physicist, or a scientist, but I am very interested in all those subjects. I find that I generally learn much better from reading (+ writing over what I've read) than I do from listening to a lecture. So I...
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    Understanding Absolute Value in Algebra: |x|=+-x Explained

    Umm ... is nrqed disagreeing with morson, or did I just misunderstand someone?
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    Understanding Absolute Value in Algebra: |x|=+-x Explained

    Thanks morson. [By the way, how do you insert mathematical symbols into posts like you just did?]
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    Understanding Absolute Value in Algebra: |x|=+-x Explained

    If x is negative then |x| = -x (for example, say x = -3, so |-3| = -(-3) = 3), because the absolute value of a number is always a positive number. But +-x refers to the number you get as a result of putting either a + or a - in front of x. So if x = -3, +-x could equal +(-3) OR -(-3). Only ONE...
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    Understanding Absolute Value in Algebra: |x|=+-x Explained

    I am using CliffsNotes QuickReview Algebra I (which by the way I find to be fantastic, except that it is very prone to typos) to review the algebra that I haven't learned in almost a decade. It says there that (x^2)^1/2 = |x|, but it also says that (x^2)^1/2 = +-x. But isn't it true that |x| >...
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