Monthly Archives: April 2017

Math 10 – Week 10

This week in math we looked at factoring ugly trinomials. At first I struggled with the concept, but I found a very simple strategy to figure it out.

Box Method

The Box Method:

The way you start is by putting the variable with the highest degree of the top right and the constant (The term with no variables) in the bottom left, once you have those two numbers you put cross multiply. In the example the answer is 6. The way you find the top left and the bottom is you list the factors and you pick the factors that add up to the middle value which in the case is 5. Once you put the terms in the box. Then you horizontally find the things (factors, variables) and then do the same thing vertically. After that you group the like terms into 2 different brackets. Then you have your answer.

Math 10 -Week 8

This week we learned about simplifying polynomial equations, which for me in grade was a major struggle. Espically the equations that had 2 terms in a bracket for example; (5x+4)(3x+7), but now I have learned a way to deal with the following types of equations

 

Taking it one step at a time made it easy to complete. Slowly doing the steps of distributive property, was made the questions easy. Using simple math like; 24x+6x was easy.

Math 10 – Week 7

This week the class learned about trigonometry we learned how to solve the angles and the side lengths. We are currently with right angle triangles where one of the angles is  90° and the two other angles add up to  90° making the whole triangle add up to 180°. This following week we learned how to find the missing angles or side lengths when one is not apparent. The formulas that help figure out the missing side length or angle are as stated S = \frac{O}{H} or Sine = \frac{Opposite}{Hypotenuse} (SOH), C = \frac{A}{H} or Cosine = \frac{Adjacent}{Hypotenuse} (CAH), and  T = \frac{O}{A} or Tangent = \frac{Opposite}{Adjacent} (TOA). SOH CAH TOA is a very useful expression that helps us remember the needed formula. Labelling the triangles sides (Opposite, Adjacent, Hypotnuse) is the most important and helpful thing to do. The another essential thing is to know the reference angle as it makes up what sides are the opposite or the adjacent, because the hypotenuse is directly across from the right angle.

Finding the side length 

To find the side length you need to take it one step at a time. FIRST you need to label the sides (Opposite, cosine, sine) THEN locate the needed sides. One will be the side you need and the other will be the side have. In this case I had the hypotenuse, and I needed the the opposite side. Then I put sin because the first letter was S in SOH and the reference, and in this case “X” was the opposite angle and the hypotenuse was 64. To isolate the variable you multiply the hypotenuse by itself then plug that in your calculator.

When the side length is the denominater

 

To find the side length when the missing length is the denominater is actually not difficult. You do everything in the beginning like the regular side length. Like label the sides, find the reference point, etc. Though you now have to put the length you have up top as the numerator. So you divide the known side length by the (Sin, cosine or Tangent) angle.

 

How to find the angle 

 

To find the angle is simple as well as you just again label the sides, find the reference angle, etc. But this time. For example, cos x is put as the reciprocal.