Gather your pencil, paper, Algebra homework, and a handful of change from your piggy bank and sit down at the kitchen table. Spread your change out in front of you. Make sure you have pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. While you're at it, grab a bag of fresh popcorn. I call it "food for thought." When my brain doesn't want to learn I feed it and it seems to help.
Look at the first Algebra problem that you need to solve and write it on the scratch paper. Pretend this is your problem, (x + 7) = 10. This is a simple problem but some students freak out because of the parenthesis, the x, and the word Algebra.
Remove the x and the parenthesis from the problem and rewrite it on the scratch paper, __ + 7 = 10. Does it look easier now? Something plus 7 equals 10. Obviously 3, and without the x and the parenthesis, it looks easy, right? Ok, now let's try something a little bigger. If you want to visualize the problem, count out 10 cents and then remove 7 cents.
Write this problem on your paper, (2x + 5)= 17. Again, remove the x and the parenthesis and just put a blank where the x was. Remember that when a number is right beside a letter you must multiply the two together. Right now, there is not a multiplication sign; you are just supposed to know. When you rewrite it, add the multiplication sign. You should have 2 * __ + 5 = 17. So 2 times a number, plus 5 equals 17.
Subract the 5 from the 17 and you get 12. So 2 times a number equals 12. Is it getting easier to understand. Right, it is 6, that was easy wasn't it. If you had trouble count out 17 cents from your change, then remove 5 cents, and then divide your cents into two equal piles.
Try this 3(x + 7) = 42. When the 3 is outside the parenthesis it means that everything inside the parenthesis is multiplied by the 3. Therefore, 3 times x is 3x and 3 times 7 is 21. Now you have 3x+21=42. Lets subtract the 21 from 42 so we can see what we need in the x spot. 42-21=21, therefore 3x=21. That means 3 times a number is 21. What number do you multiply times 3 to get 21, right 7. If you are having trouble count out 21 cents of your change and divide it equally into 3 piles.
Remember the acronym FOIL. It will get you through years of Algebra. It means first, outside, inside, last. It is the order of operations in solving an equation. (x+2)(x-4) First(F) x*x=x², Outside(O) x*-4=-4x, Inside(I)2*x=2x, Last(L)2*-4=-8. Now put these answers in order remember the x with the highest little number in the air (exponent) goes first. A negative times a positive equals a negative. x²-4x+2x-8. Now combine like terms. You cannot combine an x with an exponent with an x the doesn't have an exponent. Therefore x²-2x-8 is your answer. The only number I could combine were -4x and 2x and the result was -2x.