Refreshing basics for postgraduate study

[Ian George]

Hi,

This question is probably going to fall into the category of extremely
stupid in this forum, but I am working through a financial course at
the moment, and it is starting to test my less than perfect grasp of
basic algebra, so I am doing a bit of refresher work.

I am trying to evaluate (3^2 .2^2)^2

to which my text is telling me the answer should be 1296, and to my
immense frustration I can't come up with anything remotely resembling
that answer.

Any chance someone here can point out what I'm missing?

TIA, Ian

[John]

I got realy bad grades in algebra back in middle school 40 years ago and I have
not taken a math class since then - but I can easiely see that the answer is
1296

(9x4)^2 = 1296

Post by Ian George
Hi,
This question is probably going to fall into the category of extremely
stupid in this forum, but I am working through a financial course at
the moment, and it is starting to test my less than perfect grasp of
basic algebra, so I am doing a bit of refresher work.
I am trying to evaluate (3^2 .2^2)^2
to which my text is telling me the answer should be 1296, and to my
immense frustration I can't come up with anything remotely resembling
that answer.
Any chance someone here can point out what I'm missing?
TIA, Ian

____ _
| __\_\_o____/_|
<[___\_\_-----<------------------<No Spam Please><
| o'

[Ian George]

Gee, I knew I'd end up feeling stupid, and still do, because I don't
know why .2 becomes 4 rather than .4? Which is why my answer was
closer to 13 than 1300.. Which rule have I forgotton here?

Cheers, Ian

Post by John
I got realy bad grades in algebra back in middle school 40 years ago and I have
not taken a math class since then - but I can easiely see that the answer is
1296
(9x4)^2 = 1296

Post by Ian George
Hi,
This question is probably going to fall into the category of extremely
stupid in this forum, but I am working through a financial course at
the moment, and it is starting to test my less than perfect grasp of
basic algebra, so I am doing a bit of refresher work.
I am trying to evaluate (3^2 .2^2)^2
to which my text is telling me the answer should be 1296, and to my
immense frustration I can't come up with anything remotely resembling
that answer.
Any chance someone here can point out what I'm missing?
TIA, Ian

____ _
| __\_\_o____/_|
<[___\_\_-----<------------------<No Spam Please><
| o'

[Ken Pledger]

Post by Ian George
Gee, I knew I'd end up feeling stupid, and still do, because I don't
know why .2 becomes 4 rather than .4? Which is why my answer was
closer to 13 than 1300.. Which rule have I forgotton here?
....

Rather than forgetting any rule, you may just have been misled by
bad notation. In algebraic formulae people sometimes insert a dot to
indicate multiplication, for example a.b instead of ab . But IMHO
it's a bad practice to carry over that convention to arithmetical
formulae, as the multiplication dot is easily confused with a decimal
point. The traditional multiplication sign is clearer, in your example
(3^2 x 2^2)^2 . (That last dot was just a fullstop. :-)

Ken Pledger.

[Stuart M Newberger]

Post by Ken Pledger

Post by Ian George
Gee, I knew I'd end up feeling stupid, and still do, because I don't
know why .2 becomes 4 rather than .4? Which is why my answer was
closer to 13 than 1300.. Which rule have I forgotton here?
....

Rather than forgetting any rule, you may just have been misled by
bad notation. In algebraic formulae people sometimes insert a dot to
indicate multiplication, for example a.b instead of ab . But IMHO
it's a bad practice to carry over that convention to arithmetical
formulae, as the multiplication dot is easily confused with a decimal
point. The traditional multiplication sign is clearer, in your example
(3^2 x 2^2)^2 . (That last dot was just a fullstop. :-)

Well ,yes but someone is bound to think 'x' is a variable and get 1296x^2
.Whether you use '.' or 'x' somebody has to tell you what the symbol denotes
,or you have to have the gift of guess.Hmm,I was just being humerous but
this is getting too serious .Regards,smn