MathXL+Information

MathXL is the program that we will use for much of your homework and some of your classroom in this class The reason we use MathXL is because it allows students to have instant feedback as well as instant help while working on assignments. Above is what a typical MathXL problem looks like. Students will type their answers and then submit them for instant review. If a student gets the problem incorrect, the student can try again. After the 3rd time, the correct answer is revealed. A student may then choose to try a similar answer or move on. Trying a similar question is HIGHLY SUGGESTED!!!!! Above is a zoomed in picture of the choices to the right of any MathXL problem. If a student is struggling with a problem, he/she can choose to have help solving a problem, view an example of a similar problem, watch a video on how to solve the problem (not all questions have a video available), look at a textbook and read about that type of problem, or he/she can email Ms. Lassiter by clicking Ask My Instructor. This button will send the exact problem the student is working on/having trouble with to Ms. Lassiter. Students also can write a message to Ms. Lassiter with specific questions about that problem as well as type in the work they have already done to the point where they get lost so that Ms. Lassiter can see what the individual student's problem is and better respond to that student. Below are examples of responses Ms. Lassiter gives to her students:

Response 1:
Number 10 says: 4x-4<6(x+1)

This question is a multi-step inequality, much like the multi-step equations we did last week. Remembering the Order of Operations, you must work on the parentheses section first. With the 6(x+1), you must use the distributive property and distribute the 6 (multiply the 6) by each item inside the parentheses. This makes 6(x+1) become 6x+6 on the right side of the inequality symbol.

You will now have 4x-4<6x+6. Now you must CLT or Combine Like Terms. This means you need to get the Coefficients (the numbers with variables) and the Constants (the numbers without variables) together. I like to move the smallest Coefficient to the largest Coefficient, but this is a personal preference. Some people like to move the Coefficient to the left since all of us math teachers ask students to put the variable on the left at the end of the problem. I'll do the second way in case you feel that way.

You will subtract the 6x from both sides, cancelling out the 6x from the right side and making 4x-6x=-2x. Then you will need to add 4 to both sides so you can cancel out the -4 on the left side. This will make 6+4=10. Remember that when you are Combining Like Terms you move things from one side to the other side by doing the opposite of what the number is doing, so if it is being added on one side, you need to subtract it to move it, and if the number you need to move is being subtracted, you add it to both sides. Anyway, you should now have -2x<10.

Now you have to ITV, or Isolate The Variable. To do this, you need to take the -2x and divide it by -2 (because the -2 is being multiplied by x, you need to do the opposite thing and divide by -2 on both sides). You will end up with x on the left and -5 on the right. Your because you divided by a negative. Remember, when you multiply or divide by a negative number, your inequality sign will flip.

I hope this long explination helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions and I'll do my best to explain your answer. Sorry this response took me so long.

Sincerely,

Ms. Lassiter

Response 2:
Student's email to Ms. Lassiter: So for this kind of problem I go -5x+6>3(4-x) to -5x+6>12-3x to 3x+(-5x)+6 > 12-3x+3x -2x+6 > 12 then im stuck

Ms. Lassiter's response: You're doing great! You have done everything right so far, and you're almost there! So far you have:

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">-2x+6 > 12

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">You need to CLT or Combine Like Terms. 6 and 12 are both Constants, or numbers without variables, so you can combine those two numbers. Since 6 is being added on the left, the opposite of adding is subtracting, so you will subtract 6 from both sides. This will cancel out the 6 on the left and 12-6=6. You should now have:

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">-2x > 6

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Now you need to ITV or Isolate The Variable. The variable, x, is connected to -2 by multiplicatiaon, and the way to get the -2 off of the x is to do the opposite operation, which is division, so you will divide both sides by -2. This will cancel out the -2 on the left side, and 6/(-2) is -3. Because you divided by a negative, your sign will flip (because when you divide or multiply by a negative, your inequality sign changes!). You should now have:

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">x<3

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Remember that we have been using because our laptops do not have a "less than or equal to" or a "greater than or equal to" button, so make sure you put the correct answer on MathXL! Let me know if this helps and if you have any other questions!

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Ms. Lassiter

Response 3:
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">This one is a tricky problem using multiple steps to solve the inequality. Let's work this problem out together. I'll write the steps and you let me know if they make sense, ok? So your problem is:

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">6(4x-1)<3(3x-7) (I am using < because our computers do not have a "less than or equal to" or a "greater than or equal to" button.)

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The first step you need to do is to distribute the numbers outside the parentheses //inside// the parenthises. You only distribute numbers //directly touching// a parenthesis sign ( or ) because the number outside is being multiplied by whatever is inside the parentheses. On the left you have 6(4x-1), so you will be multiplying 6(4x) and 6(1). You will end up with 24x-6 on the left side. On the right side, you have 3(3x-7), so you will distribute the 3 and will have 3(3x) and 3(7) which will then give you 9x-21. Together, this will look like:

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">24x-6<9x-21

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Once you are at the above step, you have to CLT or Combine Like Terms. Anything with a variable is called a Coefficient, and you combine any Coefficients with the same variable. The -6 and -21 do not have variables so they are called Constants. You need to combine your Coefficients and your Constants. Some people like to move the smallest Coefficient to the largest Coefficient so that the variable has a positive number in front of it. Others like to move the Variables/Coefficients to the left side since we Math Teachers always want the variable on the left side. Luckily, the largest coefficient is on the left, so we are able to do both ways at the same time. Since the 9x on the right side is positive, you will subtract 9x from both sides. This will cancel out the 9x on the right and make 24x-9x=15x. Since the 6 on the left is being subtracted, you will need to add him to both sides to cancel him out on the left and move him to the right. -21+6=-15. The problem should now look like this:

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">15x<-15

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">To ITV or Isolate The Variable, you need to get the 15 off of the x on the left. Since the 15 and x are being MULTIPLIED, you must do the OPPOSITE and DIVIDE the 15 from both sides. 15x/15 cancels out the 15 making just x on the left, and -15/15=-1. Because you divided by a POSITIVE number, you do NOT have to flip the sign! Therefore, your answer should look like:

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">x<-1 (Remember that it should really have a "less than or equal to" symbol inbetween!)

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Let me know if you understand this/if this helps or if we need to work on this more together. Remember I have tutoring in New Bern on Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30 in the CEC building, room 116, and I tutor in Havelock on Thursdays in Mr. Peterson's room from 4-5. Good luck with the rest of your MathXL and email me if you have any more questions!

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Ms. Lassiter