Advanced Algebra

Advanced Algebra is the necessary follow-up to the basic ideas of high-school Algebra.  Here the students begin to apply mathematical ideas on deeper levels, using multiple variables to “real-world” problems that cannot be modeled with simple Algebra.  Here a student will focus on the naturally occurring quadratic equations and solutions.  Additional focus will be on inequalities and exponential functions.  Topics in this course will resemble a future college Algebra course and may even enable some students to CLEP-out of college Algebra. 

The course uses a college text and divides that text into two parts (this being the first, Trigonometry being the second) and as such allows a thorough treatment of each lesson although some lessons will go into more detail than necessary for even an advanced high school course.  Coram Deo Academy students will read, discuss, practice, and solve problems in Advanced Algebra to meet the objectives specified below.  The teacher will endeavor to show the students how Advanced Algebra is applicable in the real world.  World-view perspectives will be introduced in order to encourage students to see the relevancy of the curriculum and the importance of the concepts to the understanding and development of their faith.

A fundamental philosophical underpinning of Advanced Algebra is the realm of numbers including those called “imaginary.”  As students solve quadratic equations they will discover that some of those equations have solutions that are not “real.”  It is important to stress that these solutions are very real despite the unfortunate designation of imaginary – that there are applications (electronics and acoustics) that use these imaginary solutions to predict and design very real results.  Students here should be challenged to check their theology of life with their philosophy of numbers.  If they really believe that God is sovereign over the “seen” and “unseen” why would they have any problem with a number (imaginary) that is unseen?