We have only played with numbers and shapes until now. Letters in maths—is it possible? Yes, this happens when we are studying Algebra.
What is Algebra?
It is the branch of mathematics where we use letters to represent numbers and values in equations and expressions.
Here the symbols or letters are called variables, as their value is not constant and varies with the situation. The variable represents an unknown quantity used with known values to simplify the unsolved puzzles and problems.
Why Learn Algebra?
The concept of Algebra is not limited to our maths books and is useful in our everyday life, such as:
Algebra is used in everyday life, like figuring out how much money you'll save during a sale or how long a trip will take.
It helps us solve problems where unknown numbers need to be calculated.
Let's learn it with an example. So, imagine you have some apples at home but you don’t know how many. Instead of writing the number, you can call it "x." If you buy 3 more apples, you can write this as x + 3.
How to make an algebraic equation?
An algebraic equation consists of two components, I.e. variables and constants. Making an expression requires both of the components. These are:
1 Variables - Variables are letters like x, y, and z that stand for unknown values in an equation.
Example: In x + 5,"x" is a variable.
2 Constants - These are fixed numbers.
Example: In x + 5,"5" is a constant.
While making an algebraic equation what connects variables and constants is a mathematical expression like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Let's Use Algebra
Algebra is not just about solving problems in your textbook—it’s also used in everyday life! Let's understand this with an example by making an equation.
Example: Arranging Tables for a Party
You are organizing a party, and you are setting up rectangular tables in a row.
Each table can seat 2 people on the long sides.
If two tables are joined, they share a side, so fewer chairs are needed.
So here's a problem, If you arrange the tables in a straight row, how many chairs will you need to seat people along the long sides?
- For 1 table, you need 4 chairs (2 on each side).
- For 2 tables, you need 6 chairs (2 chairs on the first table’s side + 2 shared between the tables + 2 on the last side).
- For 3 tables, you need 8 chairs, and so on.
This way we can make an equation for the total no. of chairs for n number of tables.
Total number of chairs = 2n+2, where n is the number of tables.
Let's solve a question for this equation.
How many chairs do you need for 5 tables?
For the answer, we have 5 as n here. So put 5 as n in the equation and this way you will get this as your answer:
=2(5)+2=12 chairs
Conclusion
Studying algebra is like solving puzzles in maths with the help of the alphabet. And we made and solved those puzzles well in the above question. So, I hope Algebra doesn't sound horrible anymore, just because it is a concept of mathematics. So let's not keep this concept up to your textbooks and solve some real-life problems with it.
