# Math Help - Simplifying problems?

1. ## Simplifying problems?

when simplifying, do you show the answer or not? i forgot and its on a test tomorrow...>< thanks in advance

2. Originally Posted by Nightfire
when simplifying, do you show the answer or not? i forgot and its on a test tomorrow...>< thanks in advance
I'm not sure what you mean, I mean why wouldn't you show the answer? Am I misunderstanding your question? If the problem is to simplify, say
$\frac{x - 1}{x^2 - 1}$

Then you would have to write
$\frac{1}{x + 1};~ x \neq 1$
to show that you've gotten the answer.

-Dan

3. bah, late reply >.> my internet shut down lol

and i was asking because my 7th grade teacher said simplifying meant ONLY to simplify, for example:
8 + 4 • 2 - 7
simplified would be...
16 - 7
and leave out the final step, because it only said to simplify and not to solve. but on the pretest i had about a week ago, i got marked wrong for leaving the answer out... so mebbe my 7th grade teacher was a quack.
or is simplification different from pre-algrebra to algebra 1? math is confusing

4. Originally Posted by Nightfire
bah, late reply >.> my internet shut down lol

and i was asking because my 7th grade teacher said simplifying meant ONLY to simplify, for example:
8 + 4 • 2 - 7
simplified would be...
16 - 7
and leave out the final step, because it only said to simplify and not to solve. but on the pretest i had about a week ago, i got marked wrong for leaving the answer out... so mebbe my 7th grade teacher was a quack.
or is simplification different from pre-algrebra to algebra 1? math is confusing
Ah, I understand now. No your teacher is not a quack. Well, your teacher wouldn't be called a quack because of this, there may be other reasons I don't know about...

What your teaching is trying to test is your ability to do algebraic manipulations; essentially (s)he is testing your knowledge of order of operations. This kind of thing is also a good exercise to get you into variable manipulations; it's showing you that working with a variable is the same as working with any other kind of number. I've seen the technique before, though I've never used it in my own teaching. (I've never taught Jr. High Math, just the more advanced High School Maths.)

-Dan

5. Ah, I see now... thanks!

i know order of operations.. shes confusing us by saying we dont have to do it on some problems, for example 4 • 3 + (7x - 32) we could do the 4 • 3 before the parentheses.
*mumbles to self "please excuse my dear aunt sally..."*