What do you learn in algebra 2?

Question

This year in algebra 1 we learned about quadratic and linear equations and polynomials.

What do you learn in algebra 2?

http://www.math.com/homeworkhelp/Algebra.html

Is that algebra 1?

Answer 1

I took Algebra I about eight years ago, and Algebra II about six years ago, but from what I remember we learned the same things you did in Algebra I (in addition to other related topics, of course), so it would be reasonable to assume that the Algebra II curriculums should be similar.

Anyway, I remember learning about the following:

Linear Inequalities
^these were trickier than the ones we learned in Algebra I, as they used absolute values, etc.

Systems of Linear Equations and Matrix Algebra
^you may have done systems of two equations in two variables in Algebra I, but we solved more difficult problems and in a variety of ways, by using methods including determinants used for Cramer's Rule, setting up the systems as matricies, and then finding the inverses of the matricies and multiplying them, etc.

Linear Programming and Optimization
^you have a set of constraints and you find the optimal way to yeild some maximum (without using Calculus, of course), the constraints are all "linear"; I believe we used graphing techniques

Higher Order Polynomials
^we factored higher order polynomials, learned to divide them using "synthetic" and "long" division, and solved some specific equations in higher order (usually specific types of third and fourth order polynomials)

Complex Numbers
^an extension of finding roots to polynomials; complex numbers include a real and an imaginary part and are of the form a+bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is the imaginary unit, that is, one solution to x^2+1=0; some people think of i as the square root of negative one

Conic Sections
^we learned a lot about the equations, which describe the conic sections (circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas), and learned to manipulate these equations to graph these curves, as well as find important information about them (minor axis, major axis, eccentricity, etc.)

Elementary Combinatorics & Probability
^we learned the multiplication principle, combinations, permutations, and the factorial function; for example: if ten people are in a race, in how many ways can first, second, and third place end up? we also learned how do more advanced probability problems using the above topics

The Exponential and Logarithm Functions
^we learned about the exponential functions such as 2^x, 10^x, and in general b^x, and the lograithm functions, such as log_2 x, log_10 x, and in general log_b x; we specifically covered the important properties of the natural exponential function (e^x) and the natural logarithm function (ln x); exponential growth and decay (including compound interest and continually compounded interest) were covered as applications

Geometric Trigonometry
^we learned basic right triangle trigonometry, which we already knew from Geometry (which we took between Albebra I and Algebra II), including the law of sines and cosines, and we covered the unit circle

Analytic Trigonometry
^we learned more about the cosine, sine, tangent, cotangent, cosecant, and secant functions, and did some basic proofs of basic identities, mostly using the pythagorean identities; this topic was covered with much greater depth in the following year in Precalculus, but even in Algebra II, I think we spent at least a couple of weeks on it

That's all I remember for now, but I think we covered a bit more, and I know we discussed what functions are in brief, including the vertical line test.

Answer 2

We learned about graphing, solving equations by graphing, conic sections, the equations of the circle and ellipse, the meanings of various graphical features (like the point at which lines of the functions y=f(x) and y=g(x) intersect is a solution to f(x) = g(x)), oh yeah, and the meanings of the words "relation" and "function", various definitions and stuff, some stuff about inequalities and their graphs, solutions to quadratic equations, probably the properties of logarithms, how to solve systems of equations and quadratic equations (no relation) by various methods, how to factor, how to do long division of polynomials, and . . . I guess that's about it. It sounds like a lot, but you learn it over a whole year and you should be able to pick it up if you have a basic understanding of algebra. Have a nice day!

Answer 3

Interent