You are about to erase your work on this activity. Are you sure you want to do this?
Updated Version Available
There is an updated version of this activity. If you update to the most recent version of this activity, then your current progress on this activity will be erased. Regardless, your record of completion will remain. How would you like to proceed?
Mathematical Expression Editor
This gives practice for computing the absolute value.
How You Can (And Should) Get More Practice!
Below is a few practice problems of various difficulty, but you will need considerably more practice than one each. For that reason
you should definitely use the green “Try Another” button in the top right corner at least two or three times to complete
additional versions of these questions for more practice. You should keep using that button until doing these problems feels straight
forward and easy, and then come back after a week or so of doing other stuff and try again to make sure it is still just as easy for
you.
Theoretically Easier Difficulty Problem
Start by moving everything to one side of the equation.
Once you have everything on one side, rewrite it in piece-wise form to get rid of the absolute values.
Set each subfunction of the piece-wise expression equal to zero and solve. Then check that the solution you find is in the domain
of that subfunction.
Don’t forget that the answer is the sum of the valid solutions.
Solve the equality for . If there are no solutions, enter DNE
The sum of valid -solutions is:
Theoretically Medium Difficulty Problem
Start by moving everything to one side of the equation.
Once you have everything on one side, rewrite it in piece-wise form to get rid of the absolute values.
Set each subfunction of the piece-wise expression equal to zero and solve. Then check that the solution you find is in the domain
of that subfunction.
Don’t forget that the answer is the sum of the valid solutions.
Solve the equality for . If there are no solutions, enter DNE [Note this problem can generate problems where answers exist, and
where they don’t exist, so try hitting the “Another” button in the top right of the page until you have done examples of
both!]
The sum of valid -solutions is:
Theoretically Harder Difficulty Problem
Start by moving everything to one side of the equation.
Once you have everything on one side, rewrite it in piece-wise form to get rid of the absolute values. Remember for quadratics
this requires you to use a sign chart to determine which domain(s) have positive values inside the absolute value, versus negative
values.
Set each subfunction of the piece-wise expression equal to zero and solve. Then check that the solution you find is in the domain
of that subfunction.
Don’t forget that the answer is the sum of the valid solutions.
Solve the equality for . If there are no solutions, enter DNE [Note this problem can generate problems where answers exist, and
where they don’t exist, so try hitting the “Another” button in the top right of the page until you have done examples of
both!]