Algebra is fundamental to the working of modern society, yet its origins are as old as the beginnings of civilization. Algebraic equations describe the laws of science, the principles of engineering, and the rules of business. The power of algebra lies in its efficient symbolic representation of complex ideas, and this also presents the main difficulty in learning it. It is easy to forget the underlying structure of algebra and rely instead on a surface knowledge of algebraic manipulations.
Algebra is fundamental to the working of modern society, yet its origins are as old as the beginnings of civilization. Algebraic equations describe the laws of science, the principles of engineering, and the rules of business. The power of algebra lies in its efficient symbolic representation of complex ideas, and this also presents the main difficulty in learning it. It is easy to forget the underlying structure of algebra and rely instead on a surface knowledge of algebraic manipulations.