RADICAL Mathematics!

What a week we had last week! I think that this was the most challenging week of instruction we have had so far this year, but I am confident that you all will learn the concepts we have taught, as long as we keep practicing and working at it! This past week, we learned how to simply radicals that are not perfect squares, and how to add and subtract, and multiply and divide, expressions which contain radicals in them. Remember, when you are simplifying radicals, you are not trying to put things together, you're trying to take things apart. There is a perfect square in the radical you are simplifying, and your job is to find it and bring it out so that the radical is simplified into a smaller form. Remember also that when adding or subtracting radicals, the key thing is for the radicals to match. If they don't match, you have to simplify the radicals first so that they DO match, and THEN you can add or subtract the numbers in front of the radicals. Multiplying and dividing the radicals is a different matter, though. All you have to remember there is "Inside Inside, Outside Outside". That means multiply or divide everything OUTSIDE the radical with everything OUTSIDE the radicals, and everything INSIDE the radicals with everything INSIDE the radicals. Then simplify the radical if you have to. Parents, I know this might sound a bit confusing, but if you ask your children to show you the notes I have had them copy and have given them, it may just clear up the confusion a bit. I know this concept has been challenging this week, but I assure you, we are not done working on this standard. We will keep practicing at it.

Now coming up this week, we will be working on the Pythagorean Theorem. Now before you go tying your tongue up in a knot trying to pronounce those big words, I'll make it simple for you: this week we are going to start working on right triangles! We will be working on finding the lengths of the sides and the interior angles of these triangles, based on information that we have been given beforehand. The tool we will use to get these answers is the Pythagorean Theorem. If I've peaked your curiousity, but you still have no idea what I'm talking about, come see me in class and I'll show you. Parents, while I'm on this point, I would like to appeal to you to make sure your children are in school and on time. That way, they won't fall too far behind if they miss anything. I'm not advocating that you come to school when you are sick or anything like that! I'm just saying that I can't teach you if you are not here, and I miss you when you're gone! So with that, I'll see ya in the Red Hallway, Knights! 801, SECOND TO NONE!!!