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If your solution to stated problem does not match the given solution, you should self-critique per instructions at

   http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/dsmith/geninfo/labrynth_created_fall_05/levl1_22/levl2_81/file3_259.htm

.

Your solution, attempt at solution.  If you are unable to attempt a solution, give a phrase-by-phrase interpretation of the problem along with a statement of what you do or do not understand about it.  This response should be given, based on the work you did in completing the assignment, before you look at the given solution.

001. typewriter notation

Note that there are 7 questions in this exercise.  Be sure to continue scrolling down until you get to the end of the exercise.

Question: `q001. Explain the difference between x - 2 / x + 4 and (x - 2) / (x + 4). Then evaluate each expression for x = 2.

Your solution:

Confidence Assessment:

Given Solution:

`aThe order of operations dictates that grouped expressions must be evaluated first, that exponentiation must be done before multiplication or division, which must be done before addition or subtraction.

It makes a big difference whether you subtract the 2 from the x or divide the -2 by 4 first. If there are no parentheses you have to divide before you subtract. Substituting 2 for x we get

2 - 2 / 2 + 4

= 2 - 1 + 4 (do multiplications and divisions before additions and subtractions)

= 5 (add and subtract in indicated order)

If there are parentheses you evaluate the grouped expressions first:

(x - 2) / (x + 4) = (2 - 2) / ( 2 + 4 ) = 0 / 6 = 0.

Self-critique (if necessary):

Self-critique Rating:

Question: `q002. Explain the difference between 2 ^ x + 4 and 2 ^ (x + 4). Then evaluate each expression for x = 2.

Note that a ^ b means to raise a to the b power. This process is called exponentiation, and the ^ symbol is used on most calculators, and in most computer algebra systems, to represent exponentiation.

Your solution:

Confidence Assessment:

Given Solution:

`a2 ^ x + 4 indicates that you are to raise 2 to the x power before adding the 4.

2 ^ (x + 4) indicates that you are to first evaluate x + 4, then raise 2 to this power.

If x = 2, then

2 ^ x + 4 = 2 ^ 2 + 4 = 2 * 2 + 4 = 4 + 4 = 8.

and

2 ^ (x + 4) = 2 ^ (2 + 4) = 2 ^ 6 = 2*2*2*2*2*2 = 64.

Self-critique (if necessary):

Self-critique Rating:

Question: `q003. What is the numerator of the fraction in the expression x - 3 / [ (2x-5)^2 * 3x + 1 ] - 2 + 7x? What is the denominator? What do you get when you evaluate the expression for x = 2?

Your solution:

Confidence Assessment:

Given Solution:

`aThe numerator is 3. x isn't part of the fraction. / indicates division, which must always precede subtraction. Only the 3 is divided by [ (2x-5)^2 * 3x + 1 ] and only [ (2x-5)^2 * 3x + 1 ] divides 3.

If we mean (x - 3) / [ (2x-5)^2 * 3x + 1 ] - 2 + 7x we have to write it that way.

The preceding comments show that the denominator is [ (2x-5)^2 * 3x + 1 ]

Evaluating the expression for x = 2:

- 3 / [ (2 * 2 - 5)^2 * 3(2) + 1 ] - 2 + 7*2 =

2 - 3 / [ (4 - 5)^2 * 6 + 1 ] - 2 + 14 = evaluate in parenthese; do multiplications outside parentheses

2 - 3 / [ (-1)^2 * 6 + 1 ] -2 + 14 = add inside parentheses

2 - 3 / [ 1 * 6 + 1 ] - 2 + 14 = exponentiate in bracketed term;

2 - 3 / 7 - 2 + 14 = evaluate in brackets

13 4/7 or 95/7 or about 13.57 add and subtract in order.

The details of the calculation 2 - 3 / 7 - 2 + 14:

Since multiplication precedes addition or subtraction the 3/7 must be done first, making 3/7 a fraction. Changing the order of the terms we have

2 - 2 + 14 - 3 / 7 = 14 - 3/7 = 98/7 - 3/7 = 95/7.

COMMON STUDENT QUESTION: ok, I dont understand why x isnt part of the fraction? And I dont understand why only the brackets are divided by 3..why not the rest of the equation?

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE: Different situations give us different algebraic expressions; the situation dictates the form of the expression.

If the above expression was was written otherwise it would be a completely different expression and most likely give you a different result when you substitute.

If we intended the numerator to be x - 3 then the expression would be written (x - 3) / [(2x-5)^2 * 3x + 1 ] - 2 + 7x, with the x - 3 grouped.

If we intended the numerator to be the entire expression after the / the expression would be written x - 3 / [(2x-5)^2 * 3x + 1 - 2 + 7x ].

STUDENT COMMENT:  I wasn't sure if the numerator would be 3 or -3. or is the subtraction sign just that a sign in this case?


INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE:  In this case you would regard the - sign as an operation to be performed between the value of x and the value of the fraction, rather than as part of the numerator. That is, you would regard x - 3 / [ (2x-5)^2 * 3x + 1 ] as a subtraction of the fraction 3 / [ (2x-5)^2 * 3x + 1 ] from the term x.

STUDENT QUESTION:  There was another question I had about this problem that wasn’t addressed. At the end when you changed the order of operation from

2 – 2 + 14 – 3/7 = 14 – 3/7

where did the 98/7 – 3/7 come into play before the end solution of 95/7? I must have forgotten how to do this part.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE:  It's not clear how you can get 95/7 without this step.

To do the subtraction 14 - 3/7 both terms must be expressed in terms of a common denominator.  The most convenient common denominator is 7. 

So 14 must be expressed with denominator 7.  This is accomplished by multiplying 14 by 7 / 7, obtaining 14 * 7 / 7 = 98 / 7.  Since 7/7 = 1, we have just multiplied 14 by 1.  We chose to use 7 / 7 in order to give us the desired denominator 7.

Thus our subtraction is

14 - 3/7 =

98/7 - 3/7 =

(98 - 3) / 7 =

95 /7.

STUDENT COMMENT

It took me a while to think thru this one especially when I got to working with the fraction. Fractions have always been my
weak spot. Any tips to make working with fractions a little easier is greatly appreciated.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE

Fractions are seriously undertaught in our schools, so your comment is not unusual.

I have to focus my attention on the subject matter of my courses, and while I do address it to a point, I don't have time to do justice to the subject of fractions. In any case , to do so would be redundant on my part, since there are a lot of excellent resources on the Internet.

I suggest you search the Web using something like 'review of fractions', and find something appropriate to your needs. You should definitely review the topic, as should 95% of all students entering your course.

STUDENT COMMENT

I think I am confused on why the Numerator is not the top portion and denominator the bottom portion of the problem.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE

Everything is on one line so there is no top or bottom in the given expression.  A numerator and denominator are determined by a division of two expressions.

As we know, a denominator divides a numerator. In the given expression the division sign occurs between the 3 and the [ (2x-5)^2 * 3x + 1 ], so 3 is the numerator and [ (2x-5)^2 * 3x + 1 ] is the denominator.

x is not divided by the denominator, since the division occurs before the subtraction. For the same reason the -2 + 7x is not involved in the division.  So neither the x nor the -2 + 7 x is part of the fractional expression.

STUDENT COMMENT

Didn’t know that 3 / 7 was 3/7 as a
fraction.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE

3/7 is treated as a fraction because of the order of operations. 3 must be divided by 7 before any other operation is applied to either number, and 3 divided by 7 is the fraction 3/7.

Self-critique (if necessary):

Self-critique Rating:

Question: `q004. Explain, step by step, how you evaluate the expression (x - 5) ^ 2x-1 + 3 / x-2 for x = 4.

Your solution:

Confidence Assessment:

Given Solution:

`aWe get

(4-5)^2 * 4 - 1 + 3 / 4 - 2

= (-1)^2 * 4 - 1 + 3 / 4 - 2 evaluating the term in parentheses

= 1 * 4 - 1 + 3 / 4 - 2 exponentiating (2 is the exponent, which is applied to -1 rather than multiplying the 2 by 4

= 4 - 1 + 3/4 - 2 noting that 3/4 is a fraction and adding and subtracting in order we get

= 1 3/4 = 7 /4 (Note that we could group the expression as 4 - 1 - 2 + 3/4 = 1 + 3/4 = 1 3/4 = 7/4).

COMMON ERROR:

(4 - 5) ^ 2*4 - 1 + 3 / 4 - 2 =

-1 ^ 2*4 - 1 + 3 / 4-2 =

-1 ^ 8 -1 + 3 / 4 - 2.

INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS:

There are two errors here. In the second step you can't multiply 2 * 4 because you have (-1)^2, which must be done first.  Exponentiation precedes multiplication.  

Also it isn't quite correct to write -1^2*4 at the beginning of the second step. If you were supposed to multiply 2 * 4 the expression would be (-1)^(2 * 4). 

Note also that the -1 needs to be grouped because the entire expression (-1) is taken to the power.  -1^8 would be -1 because you would raise 1 to the power 8 before applying the - sign, which is effectively a multiplication by -1. 

STUDENT QUESTION:  if it's read (-1)^8 it would be 1 or would you apply the sign afterward even if it is grouped and it be a -1?

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE:  The 8th power won't occur in this problem, of course, but you ask a good question.

-1^8 would require raising 1 to the 8th power, then applying the negative sign, and the result would be -1.
(-1)^8 would be the 8th power of -1, which as you see would be 1.

STUDENT COMMENT:  I think it would be easier to visualize what your trying to raise to the exponent if you actually put parenthesis around the 2, that part seems to get tricky on the computer.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE:  The expression was intentionally written to be misleading and make the point that, to avoid ambiguity, order of operations apply strictly, no matter what the expression looks like.

Normally, for clarity, the parentheses would be included. They aren't necessary, but when helpful it's a good idea to include them. You can, of course, have too many parentheses in an expression, making it harder than necessary to sort out. In practice we try to strike a balance.

The original expression was

(x - 5) ^ 2x-1 + 3 / x-2

White spaces make no difference in how an expression is evaluated, but they can help show the structure; e.g.,

(x - 5)^2 * x - 1 + 3 / x -2

is a visual improvement over the original. The * between the 2 and the x is not strictly necessary, but is also helpful.

((((x - 5) ^ 2)) * x) - 1 + (3 / x) - 2

verges on having too many parentheses at the beginning; it does help clarify the 3 / x.

STUDENT COMMENT

Although I read through your explanation and do see the point you are making, that 2x is actually 2 * x, I still think that
(-1) should be raised to 2x rather than 2. Kaking the answer -11/4, not 7/4.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE

When the expression (x - 5) ^ 2x-1 + 3 / x-2 is copied and pasted into a computer algebra system it is translated as

This notation is universal and unambiguous.  Any deviation from strict interpretation (which does occur among some authors and among manufacturers of some calculators) tends to result in ambiguity and confusion. 

STUDENT COMMENT

While I do understand what you are trying to relate, I will continue to make these mistakes on more than one occasion and will not penalize myself for not rewriting years of mathematics because of a syntax issue in an online class.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE

I don't penalize errors in typed notation when the intent is clear (though I will sometimes point out these errors), and when you take your tests you'll be writing them out by hand and this won't be an issue.

However this is not a syntax issue in an online class. This is the order of operations, as it has been since algebra was developed hundreds of years ago, and it's completely consistent with the mathematics you appear to know (quite well).

As stated here, if you use the wrong syntax in any computer algebra system, your expression will not be interpreted correctly. For this reason alone you need to understand the notation.

For this and other valid reasons you need to understand how the order of operations are represented in 'linear' fashion (i.e., 'typewriter notation') and to correctly interpret expressions written in this notatation.

Any mathematics that has been learned correctly is completely consistent with the order of operations and with the notation used in this course. If the mathematics you've learned was inconsistent with the order of operations (and I don't believe this is so in your case, but it is with many students), then you would need to adjust your thinking. Fortunately this is very easy to do. Interpret expressions literally, assume nothing, and everything works out.

You will also find that the notation quickly becomes easy to read and use, and that it expands your comprehension of all mathematical notation.

STUDENT COMMENT

I used -1^(2*4). I didn't realize that was doing multiplication before exponents. All of this typewriter notations seems ambiguous to me but I think that had I seen the expression in standard notation I would probably have made the same mistake in this instance. If I were writing this expression I would probably use a parenthesis or * to show the necessary separation.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE

Parentheses, even when they aren't strictly necessary, are often useful to clarify the expression. An parentheses, even when not necessary, are part of the order of operations.

Spacing is not part of the order of operations. An expression has the same meaning even if all spaces are removed.

However as long as an expression is correctly formed, spacing as well as parentheses can certainly be used to make it more readable.

I don't go to any trouble in this exercise to make the expressions readable, since my goal here is to make the point about order of operations, which give an expression its unambiguous meaning.

However in most of the documents you will be working with, I do make an effort to clarify the meanings of expressions through their formatting, often using unnecessary parentheses and spacing to help clarify meaning.

Certainly I encourage you to do the same.

STUDENT QUESTION

I didn’t separate the ¾ as a stand alone fraction, I am confused about why you don’t treat it as an equation that the
denominator isn’t treated as a denominator.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE

Your work was good throughout most of this problem. You did forget to copy down a -1 in one of the early steps, but otherwise followed the order of operations correctly until nearly the last step.

However near the end you said that 4+3/4-2=7/2.

You appear to have performed the addition 4 + 3 and the subtraction 4 - 2 before dividing. However the division has to be done first.

The division sign is between the 3 and the 4, so the division is 3/4, and that gives you the fraction 3/4.

Therefore the expression 4+3/4-2 tells you to 'add 3/4 to 4 then subtract 2'.

When actually writing this out we would probably include parentheses.  That wasn't done here, as it would have defeated the point being made about order of operations, but for clarity we might have written

4 + (3/4) - 2.

The parentheses are not necessary around the 3/4, since the order of operations is sufficient to unambiguously define the result, but they do make the expression easier to read and reduce the likelihood of error.

Self-critique (if necessary):

Self-critique Rating:

Question: `q005.  Evaluate the expression x^3x+2/x-1 for x = 2, according to the order of operations.  Show all your steps.

Your solution:

Confidence Assessment:

Self-critique Rating:

Question: `q006. At the link

http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/dsmith/genInfo/introductory problems/typewriter_notation_examples_with_links.htm

(copy this path into the Address box of your Internet browser)

and you will find a page containing a number of additional exercises and/or examples of typewriter notation.Locate this site, click on a few of the links, and describe what you see there.

Your solution:

Confidence Assessment:

Given Solution:

`aYou should see a brief set of instructions and over 30 numbered examples. If you click on the word Picture you will see the standard-notation format of the expression. The link entitled Examples and Pictures, located in the initial instructions, shows all the examples and pictures without requiring you to click on the links. There is also a file which includes explanations.

The instructions include a note indicating that Liberal Arts Mathematics students don't need a deep understanding of the notation, Mth 173-4 and University Physics students need a very good understanding,

while students in other courses should understand the notation and should understand the more basic simplifications.

There is also a link to a page with pictures only, to provide the opportunity to translated standard notation into typewriter notation.

end program

STUDENT COMMENT (not quite correct)

I see a collection of typewriter problems, after looking at some of them I see that the slash mark is to create a fraction rather than to denote division.

INSTRUCTOR CORRECTION

A fraction is a division of the numerator by the denominator. The slash mark indicates division, which can often be denoted by a fraction.

Self-critique (if necessary):

Self-critique Rating: