Remembering How To Work Algebra Problems
Algebra is a branch of mathematics that lets you solve puzzles cloaked in obscurity. Say, for example, a train heads east at 40 miles per hour. An hour later, another train 400 miles away heads west on the same track at 60 miles per hour. With a working knowledge of algebra, you can calculate precisely when the crash will occur.
Such practical applications made high school algebra in Mr. Flaherty's class a rewarding experience. I assumed--quite wrongly, it seems--that college algebra would be no different.
Having the lowest grade in the class was a distinction quickly bestowed upon me. But somewhere between midterm and finals, a miracle occurred. Somehow I squeaked out with a B.
Then numerous advanced math courses came like machine-gun fire: three semesters of calculus, differential equations, advanced applied math and others whose names escape me now. No problem with any of them.
So when my son recently asked me to explain some algebra problems, I didn't hesitate. After all, you never forget algebra. Just like riding a bicycle.
It took but minutes to rediscover my old struggles with the subject. But then dawned a glimmer of understanding I had missed in my youth--a possible explanation for my frustrations. Algebra and life are too much alike: both force us to deal with problems with no obvious answers.
In algebra, solutions to problems come in a precise sequence. First, you must decide what the problem really is, the "unknown quantity" to be determined. Part one is often the hardest part. Einstein once observed, "The mere formulation of a problem is far more often essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill."
Second, you must pick the right formulas and rules to use--and then apply them properly to compute the correct answer.
In this case of the trains, the time it will take for them to meet is the "unknown," but it can be calculated to be exactly 4.6 hours. So exit the train just five minutes before the crash, and many adverse consequences will be avoided.
But unlike algebra, "unknowns" in life tend to fall upon us and defy quick resolution. Health crises. Financial disasters. Floods, tornadoes and earthquakes. Deaths. Job losses. Thus our role is not so much to formulate the problems, but to decide how to react to them. Still, part two of the procedure remains unchanged: pick the right rules and use them.
May I share some good "rules" from the Bible that fit any problem? Do not fret (Psalm 37:1). Don't be anxious about anything, but pray over everything (Philippians 4:6). Give thanks in every circumstance (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
If I would remember these simple rules--and use them faithfully--I could avoid many adverse consequences of my own "unknowns."
Perhaps Mr. Flaherty taught me more than he realized.
Copyright 2002 James McAlister
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