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Algebra II

Make sense of Algebra II with this clear course that walks you through hundreds of problems, showing every step in their solutions and highlighting common missteps.
Algebra II is rated 4.5 out of 5 by 65.
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Rated 5 out of 5 by from Excellent Appreciate how the instructor is not arrogant and gives encouragement. Also, understands some people are not from the best math background and there are many different reasons people are interested in the material. Everything is presented in a very clear and concise and logical manner. It has helped me reinforce and learn rather difficult concepts.
Date published: 2023-08-03
Rated 5 out of 5 by from excellent presenter was clear, thorough, and gave great explanations and examples
Date published: 2023-07-08
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great Course I took Algebra II years ago in school but wanted a fresh review to help prepare me in my high-level math journey. I’m coming away with a much better understanding and confidence in the subject matter! This course was an excellent tool for learning and a great source of information. It comes with a workbook that has examples on each lesson and more importantly problems to solve with answers to help reinforce the subject matter. The instructor Professor Sellers is very professional, extremely knowledgeable and is simply outstanding in communicating the material. He certainly understands how to convey technical material clearly to the student. Between the professor and the workbook, it makes for a powerful combination (i.e., combinatorics from lesson 34 but no pun intended) in which to learn Algebra.
Date published: 2023-06-14
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Exceptional teaching.... I love this course! I have been using it to homeschool my sophomore in high school that is an auditory learner. She has excelled. The material is clearly presented and the examples give excellent practice to do the exercises from the guidebook. The instructor is great and has a good rhythm and presentation style.
Date published: 2023-05-18
Rated 5 out of 5 by from An excellent course I had a great experience thinking through the content of the course. The explanations are clear, precise and easy to follow and grasp.
Date published: 2023-01-29
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Clearly Expounded I bought this course, thinking that its algebra level is that of college algebra. It is, in fact, high school-level algebra. I've taken college algebra, Cal. I through Cal. IV, DE I, linear algebra, etc. -- many years ago. My algebra skills, though, have been far less than stellar. I'm currently studying number theory as a mathematical hobbyist, and I wanted to sharpen my algebra skills a bit. Algebra II, though quite elementary, provides an excellent review (for me) of nearly all the basics of algebra. The instructor does an excellent job of presenting the materials in a clear and interesting fashion. Although I might not learn much in the course that's strictly new to me, it is a very fine refresher course. I would recommend the course to someone who is new at algebra and desires to master it.
Date published: 2022-10-23
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Good for the mathematically non-gifted I am a retired person whose last math class was 50 years ago and who is not especially gifted when it comes to numbers. I've watched all of the episodes of this course and Professor Sellers' Algebra I as well. On the whole, he explains mathematical principles and ideas clearly and illustrates them with helpful examples. If you are not mathematically gifted and want to learn or relearn algebra, this course might well be for you. If you've watched Professor Sellers' Algebra I, however, you should be warned that there is a good deal of repetition of the material treated there. In my judgment, there is too much repetition, even granting that some review of the earlier material is called for. Additionally, in Algebra II, Professor Sellers rushes through certain more advanced topics, making it difficult to follow his explanations. Some of the examples he discusses in his lectures on logarithms and probability, in particular, suffer from this problem. That said, Professor Sellers clearly has devoted considerable effort to explaining algebraic concepts and principles in a way that those of us who are not mathematically talented can understand, and he has largely succeeded in that effort. I certainly (re)learned much from his courses.
Date published: 2022-05-05
Rated 5 out of 5 by from A Practical, Useful Approach Took this 2011 course as a refresher since I am working with high school students at an after-school program. One of my concerns was being prepared for the so-called “new math”. I did observe with Mr. Sellers course a few such oddities. But they enabled me "to speak the same language" with the kids as a result. For example, years ago we learned that when you have two equations f(x) and g(x), if you wanted to solve f(g(x)), you simply SUBSTITUTED g(x) for the x in f(x). Made sense and simple. Now it’s called a "COMPOSITION" and such nomenclature, though unnecessary and distracting, is not really that big of a hill to climb. Another example is that the "rules” for differences in the graphs of equations are presented before the student “does the homework”. An example: y= absolute value of [x-3] "shifts the graph of y = absolute value of [x] to the right" (not the "intuitive" left). The problem is that if you do not verify this yourself by doing the homework examples you have a rule but no experience to prove the rule true. “In the old days", you did the work first and then the pattern was pointed out. This “rules" rather than “discovery" may well lead to less homework and thus less mastery. When I tutor Algebra, I use Sellers to “bridge the gap”, watch the student solve his own homework, then do the additional step of relating his math to real world problems. For example, manual pulmonary spirometry calculations (lung air flow based on medical conditions) dramatically illustrate the math. They answer the “Why do I have to do this” common question. SUMMARY: Seller’s course is an excellent interface between generations. As he is a home-school teacher himself (see L1), it is very useful for home schooling. Additionally, his explanations are very well organized. Any student with “math trouble” could benefit. Some may be concerned that there is no “Guide" with this course, only a "Workbook”. However, each chapter of the workbook begins with a review of the lecture, so no worries. Because of the need to improve a grandchild's math I also own the Great Course’ (discontinued?) Algebra II course by Siegel (2005). It did contain a Guidebook as well as a Workbook. Siegel (of Sam Houston State) taught math teachers. Though Siegel’s formal approach was more "old school' (and therefore “up my alley"), I suspect that today’s students would be better off with Sellers' course.
Date published: 2022-04-04
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Overview

Make sense of Algebra II in the company of master educator and award-winning Professor James A. Sellers. Algebra II gives you all the tools you need to thrive in a core skill of mathematics. In 36 engaging half-hour lectures, Professor Sellers walks you through hundreds of problems, showing every step in their solution and highlighting the most common missteps made by students. Designed for learners of all ages, this course will prove that algebra can be an exciting intellectual adventure and not nearly as difficult as many students fear.

About

James A. Sellers

If you are shaky on basic math facts, algebra will be harder for you than it needs to be. Spend every day reviewing flashcards of math facts, and you will be surprised at how much better at math you are!

INSTITUTION

University of Minnesota Duluth

Dr. James A. Sellers is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He earned his B.S. in Mathematics from The University of Texas at San Antonio and his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Penn State. Professor Sellers has received the Teresa Cohen Mathematics Service Award from the Penn State Department of Mathematics and the Mathematical Association of America Allegheny Mountain Section Mentoring Award. More than 60 of Professor Sellers's research articles on partitions and related topics have been published in a wide variety of peer-reviewed journals. In 2008, he was a visiting scholar at the Isaac Newton Institute at the University of Cambridge. Professor Sellers has enjoyed many interactions at the high school and middle school levels. He has served as an instructor of middle-school students in the TexPREP program in San Antonio, Texas. He has also worked with Saxon Publishers on revisions to a number of its high-school textbooks. As a home educator and father of five, he has spoken to various home education organizations about mathematics curricula and teaching issues.

By This Professor

Algebra II
854
Mastering the Fundamentals of Mathematics
854
Algebra I
854
Algebra II

Trailer

An Introduction to Algebra II

01: An Introduction to Algebra II

Professor Sellers explains the topics covered in the course, the importance of algebra, and how you can get the most out of these lessons. You then launch into the fundamentals of algebra by reviewing the order of operations and trying your hand at several problems.

32 min
Solving Linear Equations

02: Solving Linear Equations

Explore linear equations, starting with one-step equations and then advancing to those requiring two or more steps to solve. Next, apply the distributive property to simplify certain problems, and then learn about the three categories of linear equations.

31 min
Solving Equations Involving Absolute Values

03: Solving Equations Involving Absolute Values

Taking your knowledge of linear equations a step further, look at examples involving absolute values, which can be thought of as a distance on a number line, always expressed as a positive value. Use your critical-thinking skills to recognize absolute value problems that have limited or no solutions.

31 min
Linear Equations and Functions

04: Linear Equations and Functions

Moving into the visual realm, learn how linear equations are represented as straight lines on graphs using either the slope-intercept or point-slope forms of the function. Next, investigate parallel and perpendicular lines and how to identify them by the value of their slopes.

29 min
Graphing Essentials

05: Graphing Essentials

Reversing the procedure from the previous lesson, start with an equation and draw the line that corresponds to it. Then test your knowledge by matching four linear equations to their graphs. Finally, learn how to rewrite an equation to move its graph up, down, left, or right-or flip it entirely.

29 min
Functions-Introduction, Examples, Terminology

06: Functions-Introduction, Examples, Terminology

Functions are crucially important not only for algebra, but for precalculus, calculus, and higher mathematics. Learn the definition of a function, the notation, and associated concepts such as domain and range. Then try out the vertical line test for determining whether a given curve is a graph of a function.

31 min
Systems of 2 Linear Equations, Part 1

07: Systems of 2 Linear Equations, Part 1

Practice solving systems of two linear equations by graphing the corresponding lines and looking for the intersection point. Discover that there are three possible outcomes: no solution, infinitely many solutions, and exactly one solution.

29 min
Systems of 2 Linear Equations, Part 2

08: Systems of 2 Linear Equations, Part 2

Explore two other techniques for solving systems of two linear equations. First, the method of substitution solves one of the equations and substitutes the result into the other. Second, the method of elimination adds or subtracts the equations to see if a variable can be eliminated.

30 min
Systems of 3 Linear Equations

09: Systems of 3 Linear Equations

As the number of variables increases, it becomes unwieldy to solve systems of linear equations by graphing. Learn that these problems are not as hard as they look and that systems of three linear equations often yield to the strategy of successively eliminating variables.

31 min
Solving Systems of Linear Inequalities

10: Solving Systems of Linear Inequalities

Make the leap into systems of linear inequalities, where the solution is a set of values on one side or another of a graphed line. An inequality is an assertion such as "less than" or "greater than," which encompasses a range of values.

29 min
An Introduction to Quadratic Functions

11: An Introduction to Quadratic Functions

Begin your investigation of quadratic functions by visualizing what these functions look like when graphed. They always form a U-shaped curve called a parabola, whose location on the coordinate plane can be predicted based on the individual terms of the equation.

32 min
Quadratic Equations-Factoring

12: Quadratic Equations-Factoring

One of the most important skills related to quadratics is factoring. Review the basics of factoring, and learn to recognize a very useful special case known as the difference of two squares. Close by working on a word problem that translates into a quadratic equation.

32 min
Quadratic Equations-Square Roots

13: Quadratic Equations-Square Roots

The square root approach to solving quadratic equations works not just for perfect squares, such as 3 × 3 = 9, but also for values that don't seem to involve squares at all. Probe the idea behind this technique, and also venture into the strange world of complex numbers.

31 min
Completing the Square

14: Completing the Square

Turn a quadratic equation into an easily solvable form that includes a perfect square-a technique called completing the square. An important benefit of this approach is that the rewritten form gives the coordinates for the vertex of the parabola represented by the equation.

30 min
Using the Quadratic Formula

15: Using the Quadratic Formula

When other approaches fail, one tool can solve every quadratic equation: the quadratic formula. Practice this formula on a wide range of problems, learning how a special expression called the discriminant immediately tells how many real-number solutions the equation has....

30 min
Solving Quadratic Inequalities

16: Solving Quadratic Inequalities

Extending the exercises on inequalities from lecture 10, step into the realm of quadratic inequalities, where the boundary graph is not a straight line but a parabola. Use your skills analyzing quadratic expressions to sketch graphs quickly and solve systems of quadratic inequalities.

30 min
Conic Sections-Parabolas and Hyperbolas

17: Conic Sections-Parabolas and Hyperbolas

Delve into the algebra of conic sections, which are the cross-sectional shapes produced by slicing a cone at different angles. In this lesson, study parabolas and hyperbolas, which differ in how many variable terms are squared in each. Also learn how to sketch a hyperbola from its equation.

32 min
Conic Sections-Circles and Ellipses

18: Conic Sections-Circles and Ellipses

Investigate the algebraic properties of the other two conic sections: ellipses and circles. Ellipses resemble stretched circles and are defined by their major and minor axes, whose ratio determines the ellipse's eccentricity. Circles are ellipses whose eccentricity = 1, with the major and minor axes equal.

32 min
An Introduction to Polynomials

19: An Introduction to Polynomials

Pause to examine the nature of polynomials-a class of algebraic expressions that you've been working with since the beginning of the course. Professor Sellers introduces several useful concepts, such as the standard form of polynomials and their degree, domain, range, and leading coefficients.

32 min
Graphing Polynomial Functions

20: Graphing Polynomial Functions

Deepen your insight into polynomial functions by graphing them to see how they differ from non-polynomials. Then learn how the general shape of the graph can be predicted from the highest exponent of the polynomial, known as its degree. Finally, explore how other terms in the function also affect the graph.

31 min
Combining Polynomials

21: Combining Polynomials

Switch from graphs to the algebraic side of polynomial functions, learning how to combine them in many different ways, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and even long division, which is easier than it seems. Discover which of these operations produce new polynomials and which do not.

34 min
Solving Special Polynomial Equations

22: Solving Special Polynomial Equations

Learn how to solve polynomial equations where the degree is greater than two by turning them into expressions you already know how to handle. Your "toolbox" includes techniques called the difference of two squares, the difference of two cubes, and the sum of two cubes.

32 min
Rational Roots of Polynomial Equations

23: Rational Roots of Polynomial Equations

Going beyond the approaches you've learned so far, discover how to solve polynomial equations by applying two powerful tools for finding rational roots: the rational roots theorem and the factor theorem. Both will prove very useful in succeeding lessons.

32 min
The Fundamental Theorem of Algebra

24: The Fundamental Theorem of Algebra

Explore two additional tools for identifying the roots of polynomial equations: Descartes' rule of signs, which narrows down the number of possible positive and negative real roots; and the fundamental theorem of algebra, which gives the total of all roots for a given polynomial.

32 min
Roots and Radical Expressions

25: Roots and Radical Expressions

Shift gears away from polynomials to focus on expressions involving roots, including square roots, cube roots, and roots of higher degrees-all known as radical expressions. Practice multiplying, dividing, adding, and subtracting a wide variety of radical expressions.

32 min
Solving Equations Involving Radicals

26: Solving Equations Involving Radicals

Drawing on your experience with roots and radicals from the previous lesson, try your hand at solving equations with these expressions. Begin by learning how to manipulate rational, or fractional, exponents. Then practice with simple equations, while being on the lookout for extraneous, or "imposter," solutions.

31 min
Graphing Power, Radical, and Root Functions

27: Graphing Power, Radical, and Root Functions

Using graph paper, experiment with curves formed by simple radical functions. First, determine the domain of the function, which tells you the general location of the graph on the coordinate plane. Then, investigate how different terms in the function alter the graph in predictable ways.

32 min
An Introduction to Rational Functions

28: An Introduction to Rational Functions

Shift your focus to graphs of rational functions-functions that are the ratio of two polynomials. These graphs are more complicated than those from the previous lesson, but their general characteristics can be quickly determined by calculating the domain, the x- and y-intercepts, and the vertical and horizontal asymptotes....

31 min
The Algebra of Rational Functions

29: The Algebra of Rational Functions

Combine rational functions using addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and composition. The trick is to start each problem by putting the expressions in factored form, which makes the calculations go more smoothly. Leaving the answer in factored form also allows other operations, such as graphing, to be easily performed.

31 min
Partial Fractions

30: Partial Fractions

Now that you know how to add rational expressions, try the opposite procedure of splitting a more complicated rational expression into its component parts. Called partial fraction decomposition, this approach is a topic in introductory calculus and is used for solving a wide range of more advanced math problems.

30 min
An Introduction to Exponential Functions

31: An Introduction to Exponential Functions

Exponential functions are important in real-world applications involving growth and decay rates, such as compound interest and depreciation. Experiment with simple exponential functions, exploring such concepts as the base, growth factor, and decay factor, and how different values for these terms affect the graph of the function.

30 min
An Introduction to Logarithmic Functions

32: An Introduction to Logarithmic Functions

Plot a logarithmic function on the coordinate plane to see how it is the mirror image of a corresponding exponential function. Just like a mirror image, logarithms can be disorienting at first; but by studying their properties you will discover how they make certain calculations much simpler.

32 min
Uses of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

33: Uses of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

Delve deeper into exponential and logarithmic functions with the goal of solving a typical financial investment problem using the "Pert" formula. To prepare, study the change of base formula for logarithms and the special function of the base called e....

30 min
The Binomial Theorem

34: The Binomial Theorem

Pascal's triangle is a famous triangular array of numbers that corresponds to the coefficients of binomials of different powers. In a lesson connecting a branch of mathematics called combinatorics with algebra, investigate the formula for each value in Pascal's triangle, the factorial function, and the binomial theorem.

31 min
Permutations and Combinations

35: Permutations and Combinations

Continue your study of the link between combinatorics and algebra by using the factorial function to solve problems in permutations and combinations. For example, what are all the permutations of the letters a, b, c? And how many combinations of four books are possible when you have six to choose from?...

32 min
Elementary Probability

36: Elementary Probability

After a short introduction to probability, celebrate your completion of the course with a deck of cards. Can you use the principles of probability, permutations, and combinations to calculate the probability of being dealt different hands? As with the rest of algebra, once you know the rules, it's simplicity itself!

34 min