Maths help please

My maths teacher hasn't explained to me well enough soooo... Im asking EC, how do I do these Please refrain from mentioning if their easy, I don't want to feel stupider

Thankies!

**also, im not asking for them to be solved by you, but on how to do them
You can solve the first one though, for examples sake.

[pirateninja]

Okay just think of the letters mutiplying the number they are grouped with. I'll use the first one as an example:

10 x a
--------
2

which is the same as:

(10 x a)/2

which in turn makes 5 x a which is the same as 5a . I think....

I failed at maths so this is probably a bad idea. but I know you can only divide and multiply numbers with numbers and letters with letters.

EG b x b = b^2

b^2/b = b

[Tim]

10a divided by 2. = 5a. You can't get rid of the a, because there isn't an a in both the denominator and the numerator.
40a bb divided by 4b. Now, you divide the numbers first. 40 divided by 4 = 10. Now, there's a bb left. Divide that by b. So the answer would be 10ab.
10b divided by 5b = Divide 10 by 5, that makes 2. Divide b by b, that makes 1. so, 2 is the answer.
60bbcc divided by 6bc = divide 60 by 6 = 10. bbcc divided by bc = bc. So answer would be 10bc.
24cc divided by 8c = divide 24 by 8 = 3. now cc divided by c = c. So answer would be 3c.
56abbccc divided by 7bbcc = Divide 56 by 7 = 8. Divide abbccc by bbcc = ac. Answer = 8c.

Long story short, you divide the number first if possible, then the letters. You cannot divide a letter by a number, or vice versa, UNLESS you know what the letter is number wise.

I may be a bit wrong, but that's just from tiredness -.-

*begins to attempt it*

Thankyou guys i'll post moar problems if im stuck on the future questions

[Tim]

Oh, forgot to explain. If say you divide A by A. That makes 1. Any number divided by itself will create 1, including the letters.

Yay! 100% on those questions

[Martin]

It's stuff like this that make me wonder how the hell i have a GCSE in maths. :\

More importantly, why does everybody need to know that? I have never ever ever ever used that or any other maths malarcky.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by Martin

It's stuff like this that make me wonder how the hell i have a GCSE in maths. :\

More importantly, why does everybody need to know that? I have never ever ever ever used that or any other maths malarcky.

I used to love math, hate it now... Never used it once :3

Isn't simplifying (or reducing) fractions meant to make the fraction as simple as possible.
By dividing both the top and bottom of the fraction by the greatest common factor?

10b
----
5b

=

2
--- b
1


I may be wrong tho..

[Paul_UK]

Originally Posted by Martin

More importantly, why does everybody need to know that? I have never ever ever ever used that or any other maths malarcky.

Nor have I. I scraped through with a CSE grade 3 (I think that's about the same as a GCSE D now) at school, then had to learn more of it at college. I have never needed to use it again, and cannot remember any of it.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by JSG

Isn't simplifying (or reducing) fractions meant to make the fraction as simple as possible.
By dividing both the top and bottom of the fraction by the greatest common factor?

10b
----
5b

=

2
--- b
1


I may be wrong tho..

Yes, but when the denominator is one, the denominator is no longer needed. But if the numerator is one but the denominator isn't, then you must show both sides. XD

[ethene]

:-)

Originally Posted by Martin

It's stuff like this that make me wonder how the hell i have a GCSE in maths. :\

More importantly, why does everybody need to know that? I have never ever ever ever used that or any other maths malarcky.

I need an A in maths now so i dont have to do it A level, basically

Originally Posted by Martin

It's stuff like this that make me wonder how the hell i have a GCSE in maths.

What is GCSE???

[Martin]

Originally Posted by ezjaxter

What is GCSE???

General Certificate of Secondary Education. Tis the qualifications that 16 year olds get when they leave high school.

[Davo]

Originally Posted by Martin

It's stuff like this that make me wonder how the hell i have a GCSE in maths. :\

More importantly, why does everybody need to know that? I have never ever ever ever used that or any other maths malarcky.

I'm a fourth year Maths student at uni, doing Physics too though, I'd go mental if it was just Maths. Anyway Maths is extremely important if you go into any sciencey type jobs, construction work, medicine etc, plus you're bound to use basic counting at some point during the day.

Really it just helps your problem solving which you can use for anything. I bet almost everyone will absolutely disagree with me on this, oh well

Good luck ThatCrazyThang, if you don't like it just get it out the way and never look back

Originally Posted by Martin

General Certificate of Secondary Education. Tis the qualifications that 16 year olds get when they leave high school.

OOOHHH!
What's the highest Math you took?

[Lexington]

I can do this stuff - I'm a GED math tutor, so I'd BETTER be able to! - but it's tough to explain via keyboard. I'll try, though.

What you're looking to do is simplify these things as much as possible. First step, break each part - numerator and denominator - into sections. So for #2, you have 40ab^2 as the numerator. Separate that into:

40......a...........b X b

The denominator is 4b. Separate that into:

4......................b

(You don't need the dots - they're just so I can space this better.)

The first section is your numerical (no variable) section. 40 divided by 4. That's 10.

Second section is your first variable. The a's. You have a on top, but no a's on bottom. So that leaves you with an a in the numerator.

Third section is your second variable. The b's. You have two b's on top, and one on bottom. That's b X b (divided by) b. Since you're multiplying and then dividing by the same value (b), you can cancel the "x b" and "(divided by) b" out. That leaves you with one b, in the numerator.

So you're left with 10 x a x b in the numerator, and nothing in the denominator. If there's nothing left in the denominator, you no longer have a fraction. You have 10ab.

Hope that kinda makes sense.

Lex

[Martin]

Originally Posted by ezjaxter

OOOHHH!
What's the highest Math you took?

I only went up to GCSE level (which is compulsory anyway). It is then split into 3 tiers:
Foundation - Lowest level - Highest grade you can achieve is a D
Intermediete - Highest grade you can achieve is a B
Higher - Highest grade you can achieve is an A*

I did intermediete and got a C grade. Not all exam boards have the same tiers though, and i don't think the exam board i did it with have an intermediete level now either.

Yeah, they're confusing. They change the syllabus every fecking year.

O.o

All I know is that I'm in Pre Calculus.