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Danica McKellar's New York Times bestseller tackles the most feared of all math classes: Algebra!
Algebra: The word alone has been known to strike fear in the hearts of even the best students, but help is here! With her two earlier books, actress and math genius Danica McKellar shattered the "math nerd" stereotype and empowered girls to conquer middle-school math and pre- algebra. Sizzling with McKellar's trademark sass and style, Hot X: Algebra Exposed now shows them how to master algebra topics like square roots, polynomials, quadratic equations, word problems, and more. In addition to fun extras like personality quizzes, reader polls, and boy-crazy confessionals, Hot X includes
fitime-saving tips and tricks
Sample problems with detailed solutions
firelatable real-world examples
Parents and daughters alike will cheer McKellar as they watch their test scores rise!
Danica McKellar is the bestselling author of Math Doesn't Suck, Kiss My Math, and, most recently, Girls Get Curves. Best known for her roles on The Wonder Years and The West Wing, Danica is also an internationally recognized mathematician and advocate for math education. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA with a degree in Mathematics, she has been honored in Britain’s esteemed Journal of Physics and The New York Times for her work in mathematics, most notably for her role as co-author of a groundbreaking mathematical physics theorem, which bears her name (The Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem.) Her passion for promoting girls’ math education began in 2000, when she was invited to speak before Congress on the importance of women in math and science. Since then, Danica has made it a priority to find time in her busy acting schedule to promote math education, often appearing around the country as a speaker at national mathematics conferences.
Hot Topics
Acknowledgments vi Hot… X? xi FAQs: How to Use This Book xiii
PART 1: MEET THE VARIABLES
Chapter 2: Happy Birthday to Me
GCFs and LCMs with Variables
15 Chapter 3: Listen to Your Gut
Factoring with Variables
30 CONFESSIONAL: Are You Boy Crazy? ON THE COVER 39 Chapter 4: Meow Mix
Rational Expressions: Fractions with Variables in Them
42 Chapter 5: Eating Pizza in the Dark
Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Variables
57 QUIZ: Are You Bold or Shy? ON THE COVER 72
PART 2: SOLVING FOR X
Chapter 6: Your Holiday Shopping List
Strategies for Solving for X
76 Chapter 7: How Picky Are You?
Solving Equations with Absolute Value
91 Chapter 8: Control Freaks, Unite!
Solving Inequalities with Absolute Value
99 MOOD ZAPPER: Take Control of Your Feelings! 113
PART 3: FUNCTIONS, GRAPHING, AND SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS
Chapter 9: Can You Keep a Secret?
Functions and Relations
116 Chapter 10: They’re Going Steady
Equations of Lines, and Graphing Lines and Linear Inequalities
130 Chapter 11: Mystery Woman
Writing Equations for Lines, Including Parallel/Perpendicular Lines
147 Chapter 12: Little Miss People Pleaser
Solving and Graphing Systems of Linear Equations
164 CONFESSIONAL: Dumbing Ourselves Down—the Sequel! 182
PART 4: WORD PROBLEMS
Chapter 13: The Guy of Your Dreams
Motion Problems: Using r . t = d
184 Chapter 14: Dip in the Pool, Anyone?
Rate of Work Problems
198 Chapter 15: Savvy Business Chick
Word Problems: Percents and Simple Interest
208 Chapter 16: The Perfect Party Snack
Word Problems Involving Mixtures
224
PART 5: EXPONENTS AND SQUARE ROOTS
Chapter 17: Ms. Exponent Gets Her Whip
The Product, Power, and Quotient Rules for Exponents
239 Chapter 18: Keep Your Day Job
Negative (and Zero) Exponents
257 Chapter 19: The Benefi ts of a Diary
Intro to Square Roots and Radical Expressions
273 CONFESSIONAL: How Can I Focus and Avoid Distractions? 291
PART 6: POLYNOMIALS
Chapter 20: Chocolates for Breakfast
Intro to Polynomials and Adding/Subtracting Them
294 Chapter 21: A Day at the Hair Salon
Multiplying Polynomials and the FOIL Method
309 Chapter 22: The Jewelry Dilemma
Factoring Trinomials with Reverse FOIL and Grouping
323 Chapter 23: Boyfriend or "Special" Friend
Factoring Special Polynomials
343 QUIZ: Take Control of Your Feelings! 348
PART 7: QUADRATIC EQUATIONS
Chapter 24: Puppies, Please?
Solving Quadratic Equations by Factoring
353 Chapter 25: The Lemonade Stand
Solving Quadratic Equations by Completing the Square
369 Chapter 26: What You Can Learn at the Mall
Using the Quadratic Formula
385
A Final Word 397 Appendix 398 Answer Key 402 Index 413 About the Author 418
Anonymous
Posted Tue Aug 10 00:00:00 EDT 2010
I wish there was a way I could personally meet Danica McKellar and thank her for what her amazing and easy to understand math books have done for me. I've always felt stupid when it came to mathematics; the kind of mental break I've always had were just debilitating whenever I looked at an equation. Even in college, I'd cry tears of anger and frustration wondering, "What the heck is everyone seeing that I just can't grasp?!" All of that changed when, one year ago, I picked up "MATH DOESN'T SUCK". I am 30 years old now. Believe me, thanks to instructors like
Ms. McKellar who truly care that their pupils understand mathematics and make it their own, I finally understand middle school mathematics. I purchased "KISS MY MATH" and waited like a caged animal for "HOT X: ALGEBRA" outside of Barnes & Noble. I feel more confident, excited about this new world I feel has finally opened up to me, all because, like myself, Ms. McKellar is fed up with young girls the world over (especially in the United States) are made to feel that brains depreciates beauty, instead of knowing that the truth is the reverse. BRAVO, Danica McKellar, BRAVO!!! Keep your math books coming!! Should I have a daughter someday, your books will be waiting for her.
14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Jun 22 00:00:00 EDT 2012
I have all three of Danica's books, and I would recommend this to Algebra students everywhere! It's very helpful. I am also excited to hear that she is working on her fourth book, a Geometry one, out August 2!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Aug 07 00:00:00 EDT 2012
title says it all:)
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.jan59
Posted Sat Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2011
We are very excited to be buying your third book, Hot X. You have such a way with words and keeping things simple yet yielding the optimum result: understanding. We ony wish that you could do a book on Geometry, trigonometry, etc. In other words, keep going!!
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Apr 05 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I just love these books! They are so helpful and filled with great advice. I love the author's message- that being smart doesn't mean being a dork. I would recommend these books to any girl, even if she isn't struggling with math. They are fun to read, and make math concepts easy to understand. I really found some of the tips very helpful. A must read for sure!
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Overview
Danica McKellar's New York Times bestseller tackles the most feared of all math classes: Algebra!
Algebra: The word alone has been known to strike fear in the hearts of even the best students, but help is here! With her two earlier books, actress and math genius Danica McKellar shattered the "math nerd" stereotype and empowered girls to conquer middle-school math and pre- algebra. Sizzling with McKellar's trademark sass and style, Hot X: Algebra Exposed now shows them how to ...