In algebra, letters are used to stand for values that can change (variables) or for values that are not known (unknowns). A term is a number or letter on its own, or numbers and letters multiplied ...

Parsing algebraic expressions is always a pain. If you need to compute, say, 2+4*2, the answer should be the same as (2 + (4 *2)), not ((2 + 4) * 2) — in other words, the right answer is 10, not 12.

As leaders of science and engineering departments at a public university, we have front row seats to the outcomes of America’s approach to kindergarten-12th grade (K-12) math education. We see ...