Square Root The first step in learning about square roots is understanding the symbol for square roots. The symbol can be called a radical, square root, or root. There are three names for the same thing. To indicate the square root of a number is needed to be solved, a number is inserted inside the…
Exponents An exponent has two parts to it, an exponent and a base. The small number to the right and above the number is an exponent (when typing, this is a superscript). The large number underneath is called a base number. The following example shows 3 as the base and 2 as the exponent. Understanding…
Absolute Value What does absolute value mean? Conceptually, the absolute value of a number is its distance from 0. Simplistically, it converts all numbers to a positive value. Absolute Value Symbol The absolute value symbol is two vertical lines next to a number |x|. The absolute value symbol is illustrated around 5 and -5 below…
Negative Numbers Negative numbers are numbers that are less than zero. When first learning to count, we start counting positive numbers beginning with 1, then proceeding to 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. Soon we also learn about 0, which has no value. Creating a number line is a helpful tool for understanding positive and negative…
