Table of Contents
Hot Topics
AcknowledgmentsviHot… X?xiFAQs: How to Use This Bookxiii
PART 1: MEET THE VARIABLES
Chapter 2: Happy Birthday to Me
GCFs and LCMs with Variables
15Chapter 3: Listen to Your Gut
Factoring with Variables
30CONFESSIONAL: Are You Boy Crazy? ON THE COVER39Chapter 4: Meow Mix
Rational Expressions: Fractions with Variables in Them
42Chapter 5: Eating Pizza in the Dark
Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Variables
57QUIZ: Are You Bold or Shy? ON THE COVER72
PART 2: SOLVING FOR X
Chapter 6: Your Holiday Shopping List
Strategies for Solving for X
76Chapter 7: How Picky Are You?
Solving Equations with Absolute Value
91Chapter 8: Control Freaks, Unite!
Solving Inequalities with Absolute Value
99MOOD ZAPPER: Take Control of Your Feelings!113
PART 3: FUNCTIONS, GRAPHING, AND SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS
Chapter 9: Can You Keep a Secret?
Functions and Relations
116Chapter 10: They’re Going Steady
Equations of Lines, and Graphing Lines and Linear Inequalities
130Chapter 11: Mystery Woman
Writing Equations for Lines, Including Parallel/Perpendicular Lines
147Chapter 12: Little Miss People Pleaser
Solving and Graphing Systems of Linear Equations
164CONFESSIONAL: Dumbing Ourselves Down—the Sequel!182
PART 4: WORD PROBLEMS
Chapter 13: The Guy of Your Dreams
Motion Problems: Using r . t = d
184Chapter 14: Dip in the Pool, Anyone?
Rate of Work Problems
198Chapter 15: Savvy Business Chick
Word Problems: Percents and Simple Interest
208Chapter 16: The Perfect Party Snack
Word Problems Involving Mixtures
224
PART 5: EXPONENTS AND SQUARE ROOTS
Chapter 17: Ms. Exponent Gets Her Whip
The Product, Power, and Quotient Rules for Exponents
239Chapter 18: Keep Your Day Job
Negative (and Zero) Exponents
257Chapter 19: The Benefi ts of a Diary
Intro to Square Roots and Radical Expressions
273CONFESSIONAL: How Can I Focus and Avoid Distractions? 291
PART 6: POLYNOMIALS
Chapter 20: Chocolates for Breakfast
Intro to Polynomials and Adding/Subtracting Them
294Chapter 21: A Day at the Hair Salon
Multiplying Polynomials and the FOIL Method
309Chapter 22: The Jewelry Dilemma
Factoring Trinomials with Reverse FOIL and Grouping
323Chapter 23: Boyfriend or "Special" Friend
Factoring Special Polynomials
343QUIZ: Take Control of Your Feelings!348
PART 7: QUADRATIC EQUATIONS
Chapter 24: Puppies, Please?
Solving Quadratic Equations by Factoring
353Chapter 25: The Lemonade Stand
Solving Quadratic Equations by Completing the Square
369Chapter 26: What You Can Learn at the Mall
Using the Quadratic Formula
385
A Final Word397Appendix398Answer Key402Index 413About the Author418