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The Student Success Commons at York County Community College: Math

Welcome to the Math Section

Welcome to the SSC's Mathematics Section

Here you can find dozens of resources to help you get through your math class. We have a collection of general math resources on this page, as well as pages dedicated to quantitative reasoning, statistics, and trigonometry.

 

Welcome to the SSC's math section

Math Resources

Order of Operations: GEMDAS When evaluating mathematical expressions, be sure to follow the order of operations:

1) G: Groupings. These include parentheses, brackets, and braces.
2) E: Exponents. This includes roots and radicals.
3) M and D: Multiplication or Division. These both have the same "weight" so when you get to this step do whichever operation comes first when working from left to right.
4) A and S: Addition or Subtraction. These both have the same "weight" so when you get to this step do whichever operation comes first when working from left to right.

According to an experiment run by Dr. Peter Price of the Classroom Professor website, about 75% of students get the wrong answer by not using the order of operations. In his experiment Dr. Price posted the following brainteaser:

7 - 1 × 0 + 3 ÷ 3 = ?

Out of the 6,000 respondents, only 26% arrived at the right answer. Try out this problem for yourself and see what you get.
. . . . . . . . .
Did you get 8? If so, congrats, you're using the order of operations! If you got a different answer check out Order of Operations 101, an article from the Calculator Site linked below for a complete explanation about GEMDAS (also known as PEMDAS).

 Order of Operations 101

 You can also visit Khan Academy if you'd like more review and practice with the order of operations. 

Math Anxiety

Types of numbers (and their symbols)

The main types of numbers are:

  • Natural Numbers (N), (also called positive integers, counting numbers, or natural numbers); They are the numbers {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, …}
  • Whole Numbers (W). This is the set of  natural numbers, plus zero, i.e., {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, …}.
  • Integers (Z). This is the set of all whole numbers plus all the negatives (or opposites) of the natural numbers, i.e., {… , ⁻2, ⁻1, 0, 1, 2, …}
  • Rational numbers (Q). This is all the fractions where the top and bottom numbers are integers; e.g., 1/2, 3/4, 7/2, ⁻4/3, 4/1 [Note: The denominator cannot be 0, but the numerator can be].
  • Real numbers (R), (also called measuring numbers or measurement numbers). This includes all numbers that can be written as a decimal. This includes fractions written in decimal form e.g., 0.5, 0.75 2.35, ⁻0.073, 0.3333, or 2.142857. It also includes all the irrational numbers such as π, √2 etc. Every real number corresponds to a point on the number line.

Accessing Your E-book!

How Drop-in Tutoring Works

Drop-in tutoring allows all students to work at their own pace with a tutor. It doesn't matter if you're 2 sections behind or a section ahead; it doesn't matter if it takes 30 minutes to work on one problem. We're here to help you at your level.

Math Tutoring 101

It's important that your math grade reflects your personal effort and abilities, which can sometimes be more difficult when all your homework, tests, and quizzes are online. Student Success Commons tutors are here to help you, but in a way that ensures your work is your own. If you seek help from a SSC math tutor, please first understand what you can and can't expect.

 

What can a math tutor do?
We can... We cannot...
Help you find new ways to approach a problem Give you solutions for a problem
Show you how to take and use good notes Teach you the material from scratch (you must attend class, watch instructional videos, and read your textbook!)
Provide support and encouragement Sit with you through every quiz or test
Work with you on examples to help you understand the steps and concepts Work with you on examples while you're taking an exam.
Help you understand and interpret questions Walk you through step-by-step calculations for quizzes or tests
Show you how to use your calculator effectively Tell you if an answer to a quiz or test question is right or wrong before it's submitted

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Student Success Commons at York County Community College

112 College Drive Wells, ME 04090
studentsuccesscommons@yccc.edu
207-216-4386


 

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