# January 2019 Algebra I Regents, THE WHOLE TEST SOLUTIONS, Premiering now!

Check it out! In the description I have a link to a review packet, which is currently discounted at 20% for a limited time!

# Is 16/7 rational or irrational? THE ANSWER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU!

Is 16/7 irrational? The answer might seem obvious to you, but in fact the vast majority of students get this wrong!

I’ve even spoken to adults, and adults who know the difference between rational and irrational numbers get this question wrong.

What is it about this number that tricks so many people? I discuss the cause in this video. By the end of this video, you’ll end up a little bit smarter, and a little bit more ready for the ACT and every other test that your school throws at you, so that you can get into the college of your choice and achieve the career you deserve.

Is the product of the square root of 16 and the fraction 4/7 rational or irrational?

A. Yes, because the product of two rational numbers is always rational.
B. Yes, because the product of two irrational numbers is rational.
C. No, because the product of a rational number and an irrational number is irrational.
D. No, because the product of two irrational numbers is irrational.
E. Yes, because the product is both rational and irrational.

# What a great gift idea for the nerd in your life!

Are you buying this for yourself or as a gift too? I am buying 25 in bulk to give all my new students!

# Get better math grades TODAY by fixing these five simple errors!

This video goes through the five most common mistakes that students make, and how to fix them! Avoid these mistakes and your grades will improve right away.

Not showing work: If you don’t show work, your MATH IS SLOWED DOWN, and your MATH IS LESS ACCURATE! Instead, show work to raise your grade, speed up, and be more accurate.

USE IT OR KEEP IT: I use the expression “use it or keep it” because, when solving math problems, all operations have to be either used or kept. Nothing becomes something else. Nothing disappears. If you are doing a math problem, and you think something should disappear, figure out how to use it, or you have to keep it.

The distributive property: The distributive property is the bane of your existence! I know. But if you follow the basic rules of the distributive property like I show you in the video, you’ll get more problems right than your friends do.

And don’t forget to do the operation you wrote down! Many problems end up being wrong because the student wrote down the correct operation, but combined things incorrectly. Use your calculator if you need to, and make sure that the math that you write down or the math that is written down for you is what you do.

Finally, check your answers! You might feel like checking your answers is a waste of your time, but the students who improve the most are the students who check their answers. The reason for this is, if you do math problems and you make a mistake, you’ll never catch the mistake, and you’ll lose the opportunity to find a pattern in the kinds of errors that you make.

Subscribe! More videos coming every week!

# I STILL STRUGGLE with SOLVING FOR X!!! HELP!!!

I know it’s hard sometimes to find the answer to basic equations. It’s also embarrassing to ask the teacher how to solve super easy algebra problems when they have already jumped ahead to other topics! “Basic algebra mistakes get in my way”.

This video shows you how to solve basic equations in a way that you can apply to more complicated equations.

I solve one step equations, two step equations, and multistep equations in a way that will leave you understanding how to solve future equations. Hopefully this video will help you solve for x in a way you will remember! Take notes, pause the video to try problems, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming an ACT math expert!

Leave any questions in the comments and I will answer them as soon as I get them!

# Need help getting past that ACT speedbump?

Get past that ACT roadblock! Let me show you how. I am creating a massive collection of videos that will make you ready for the highest ACT grade possible for you. Are you ready? Subscribe to my channel and keep up!

# SAT/ACT problem of the week, January 26, 2017 solution

Hint for process of elimination: Taking test values such as $a=3$ and $b=5$ and carefully using order of operations will help you eliminate most or all answers. If your own choice of values of $a$ and $b$ do not eliminate all choices, making a second choice (or in very extreme cases even a third choice) will finish off all remaining incorrect answers.

Another hint is, variables are never being multiplied with other variables, this eliminates choices D and E. Also, there is nothing in the original expression which can combine with and eliminate the number 2 from the expression. This eliminates choices A and C, leaving you with the correct answer, B.

Read on for a full solution.

# SAT/ACT problem of the week, January 26, 2017

Which of the following is equal to $5a + 3b -(5b -2)$?

1. $5a$ (check answer)
2. $5a - 2b +2$ (check answer)
3. $5a - 10b$ (check answer)
4. $5a - 15b^2 - 6b$ (check answer)
5. $8ab - 5b + 2$ (check answer)

Have a solution? Hint? Question? Drop it below. We’d love to hear from you. A full solution will be posted on February 1st. If you would like to learn how to enter fancy math formulas into this blog, visit the WordPress LaTeX tutorial page.

# SAT/ACT problem of the week, January 19, 2017 solution

Hint for process of elimination: Use the keyword “despite” as a hint that the word in the blank must produce a statement that says that Isiah did the opposite of what might be expected after repeated failure. This should at least eliminate choices A, B, and D, giving you a 50% chance of getting this problem correct. Any time you can eliminate at least one answer, it is most advantageous to guess.

Read on for a full solution.