Algebra Warmups

Solidifying your foundation in the essentials of algebra is an excellent way to set yourself up to succeed at advanced studies in any field of mathematics, science, or engineering. You can solve problems beyond the ability of any calculator if you approach them strategically (and strategy can also save you a lot of time!).

Here are some quick tips for strengthening your algebraic problem-solving skills:

• When you first approach a new question, ask: What are the properties of the numbers and operations involved?
• Simplify as much as possible before calculating. If you're just going to multiply by 0 at the end, don't do all the other work!
• Exponents trip a lot of people up. Don't just memorize the rules for working with exponents, but play around with each rule and build up your intuition.