The semester is coming to an end, this class has been one of the most difficult but also rewarding classes I’ve ever taken as into has taught me not only the importance of C, D, P, E, U, but it has also taught me things about myself and my learning. Here are the top 5 things I’ve learned throughout the course of the last semester in Pre-calculus 11.

1. Factoring:

factoring is extremely important! This is possibly the most important skill to have/concept to understand in all of pre-calculus 11. It is by far the most relevent and repeated idea throughout the entire course. Factoring reappears in over half of the chapters as it is necessary for units like inequalities, Quadratics, as well as reciprocal functions etc…

 

2. Geometric vs Arithmetic, Sequence vs Series:

This unit was our very first unit that we completed in the class, I thought this unit was important to add to this post because of how different it is from any of the other units and thus slightly more difficult to remember. An Arithmetic sequence is a constant addition from on term to the next in a predictable pattern. An Arithmetic series is still dealing with addition (as it is Arithmetic) however it focuses on the sum of all of the terms within the pattern. A geometric sequence deals with constant multiplying as opposed to adding, and a geometric series one again focuses on the sum of all of the combined terms within the pattern.

3. Special Triangles:

I found special triangles to be quite interesting, I enjoyed their predictability and accuracy. We learned about 2 special triangles one being originally part of a square that had been cut in half diagonally (1:1: , the other from an equilateral triangle that had been cut directly down the Center (1:2:

 

4. Absolute Value:

At first I found understanding absolute value to be quite difficult, I had this concept explained to me in a few different ways and I think that the easiest way to understand it was to think of it on a number line, the absolute value is telling us how many units away from zero that value is located.

 

5. Completing the Square:

Completing the square is a “technique” used to convert standard equation forms into general (also known as vertex) form, this form of an equation gives you a very clear vertex point which can be very important when graphing. I personally found this completing the square method difficult at first, likely because there are a fair few steps to remember when applying this method.