SYLLABUS FOR ELEMENTARY ALGEBRA

I. *REVIEW OF ADDITION, SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION, AND DIVISION OF
FRACTIONS AND DECIMALS

II. ADDITION, SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION, AND DIVISION OF INTEGERS AND
RATIONAL NUMBERS

A. Introduction to sets, including definition of integer, rational number, and real number
B. Concept of absolute value
C. Order of operations
D. Algebraic expressions
1. Variables
2. Terms
3. Factors
4. Coefficients
E. Translating English expressions into algebraic expressions
F. Distributive property and greatest common factor
G. Expressing complex algebraic fractions in simplest form
H. Evaluating algebraic expressions

III. SOLVING LINEAR EQUATIONS (INCLUDING PERIMETER, AREA, NUMBER, AND *AGE
PROBLEMS)

A. Techniques of solving
B. Word problems

IV. SOLVING RATIONAL EQUATIONS

A. Techniques of solving
B. Word problems

V. SOLVING LITERAL EQUATIONS FOR A SPECIFIED VARIABLE

A. Basic linear equations
B. Rational equations
C. By combining like terms and factoring

VI. SOLVING LINEAR INEQUALITIES IN ONE VARIABLE

VII. GRAPHING LINEAR EQUATIONS IN TWO VARIABLES

A. Coordinates
B. Plotting points
C. Methods of graphing linear equations
1. Using a table
2. Using intercepts
3. Horizontal and vertical lines
4. Introduction to graphing a nonlinear equation using a table
D. Interpreting graphs

VIII. QUADRATIC EXPRESSIONS AND FACTORING

A. Addition and subtraction of monomials
B. Multiplication
1. Monomial times monomial
2. Monomial times polynomial
3. FOIL method
4. Squaring a binomial
C. Factoring
1. Greatest common monomial factor
2. Difference of perfect squares
3. Factoring general trinomials

IX. SQUARE ROOTS OF NON -NEGATIVE NUMBERS

A. Perfect squares
B. Radical notation
C. Solving quadratics by factoring
D. Solving quadratics of the form ax² + c = 0
E. Solving for the sides of a right triangle by using the Pythagorean Theorem

*Optional