Need help in alegbra for my daughter....

[rumpel]

she thinks this is a misprint in a text book:

-(-6)-|-12|*<-2-(-120)/15>
__________________________

-7 to the second power+|-8|*|7|-(-2) to the fifth power -6



:shrug: :shrug:

thanks a Million

[GCP]

1. Kick for the algebra mavens

I'm not sure what the straight lines mean - it's way too long since I needed to do algebra, and I didn't have straight lines in the stuff I did!

[Jamastiene]

3. The straight lines mean absolute value which is usually

positive in most of my experiences.

[Jamastiene]

9. Kicked again because I don't need two problems keeping me

awake all night. I have a calculus problem that is blowing my mind tonight. I wish I could see a scan of your original problem.

[rumpel]

17. sorry....

she did suggest a scan - after I posted it.

but thanks

:)

[Writer]

2. The straight lines mean absolute value...

I would just follow the order of operations: Please My Dear Aunt Sally... Parentheses, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction. And remember that the straight lines mean the absolute value of the number, in spite of whether the number is positive or negative.

I am no where near a math whiz, but that is what I recall from algebra. Good luck! :hi:

[terryg11]

4. what's the star symbol for?

after the absolute value of negative twelve that star sign, is it for multiplication?

[Jamastiene]

5. That's a tricky one.

-(-6)-|-12|*<-2-(-120)/15>
__________________________

-7 to the second power+|-8|*|7|-(-2) to the fifth power -6

For the top part:

-(-6) means positive 6
|-12| means positive 12

6-12 is -6

* means multiply

(-2-(-120)) means -2+120=118

118/15 = 7.8666666666666
So for the top, you end up with -6(7.8666666666)=-47.2

For the bottom part:
-7 squared is 49
+|-8| means +8

49+8=57

|7|-(-2) to the fifth power -6

means absolute value of 7 which is 7
-(-2) means add 2 ^-5/6

That's where I get really foggy on my algebra. I'm not even sure if anything I have so far is right.

[Jamastiene]

8. |7|-(-2) to the fifth power -6 ...then again

without seeing the actual problem that could mean |7|-(-2^5)-6 which would change the problem.

7+2^5=7+32=39-6=33

So, the bottom would be 1881? I'm confrused.

[ComerPerro]

6. -66 and -31, if I read you correctly

[aePrime]

7. I'm not sure what your angle brackets mean

Does it look like any of the below?

[LynzM]

12. That was going to be my question....

Where, in the numerator, do the parentheses belong? :hi:

[rumpel]

15. The angle brackets are the way it is printed in the book

[TheBaldyMan]

10. if I interpret your expression right - I have ...

simplifying the numerator and denominator separately:

-(-6)=6 ; |-12|=12 ; -2-(-120)=-2+120=118

using the above values lets you re-write the numerator (top line) as 6-12*(118/15) = 6-(12*118)/15

re-writeing the 6 as 6*1 = 6*15/15 = 90/15

this lets you put the top line in the form (90-12*118)/15 = (90-1,146)/15 = -1,316/15


the denominator (bottom line) -7^2+|-8|*|7|-(-2)^5-6 uses the same rules as above for subtracting negative numbers an absolute values so ...

-7^2 = 49 ; |-8| = 8 ; -2^5 = -32

these results let you re-write the denominator as ...

49 + 7*8 -(-32) - 6 = 49-56+32-6 = 19 (by calculator)

combining the numerator and denominator gives : (-1,316/15)/19 = -1,316/ (15*19)= -1,316/285

I'd leave the answer in fraction form.

[rug]

11. 2?

[rumpel]

16. Yes, the answer is supposed to be 2...

but somewhere along the lines is an error of 1 - she says

[rumpel]

13. Wow, thank you all!

Meanwhile, I had to go, do some yard clean -up.

I will get my daughter now.

be back

:hi:

[rumpel]

14. Ok,

She e-mailed the author.

(My alegbra skills have taken a dive into the abyss by now, thanks again)

I'll keep you posted.

be back later

:hi: