| 8 | First Notions in Algebra |
As problems get more complicated, so does the arithmetic used to solve them. People invented multiplication and division to shortcut the repeating of addition and subtraction. Algebra was developed to handle more involved problems, where the older shortcuts didn’t help much.
SHORTCUTS FOR LONG PROBLEMS
Figure 8-1 shows a fairly simple problem that algebra can help you solve: fencing for a double-fenced enclosure. You are told two facts at the beginning of this problem. First, the length of the inner enclosure must always be triple its width. Second, the spacing between the two fences must always be 3 feet.
Figure ...
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