Intermediate Algebra (saylor.org)

This course is a continuation of "Beginning Algebra". Algebra allows us to formulate real-world problems in an abstract mathematical term or equation. These equations can then be solved by using techniques you will learn in this course. For example, if I can ride my bicycle at 5 miles per hour and I live 12 miles from work, how long will it take me to get to work? Or, suppose I am a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and my fast ball is 95 miles per hour, how much time does the hitter have to react to the baseball? And, can you explain why an object thrown up into the air will come back down? If so, can you tell how long it will take for the object to hit the ground? These are all examples of problems that can be stated as an algebraic equation and then solved.

In this course you will study compound inequalities and solve systems of linear equations. You will then study radicals and rational exponents, followed by quadratic equations and techniques used to solve these equations. Finally, you will study general functions and graphs with an emphasis on the exponential and logarithmic functions. You will apply these skills to solve real-world problems, represented as word problems. Each unit will have its own application problems, based on the concepts to which you have been exposed in the unit. This course is also intended to provide you with a strong foundation for Calculus I.

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• solve compound inequalities, absolute value inequalities, and systems of linear equations;
• simplify radical expressions;
• solve quadratic equations and applications, and also simplify compound fractions;
• solve rational equations and applications;
• use function notation to model real-world problems; and
• use exponential and logarithmic functions.