Sometimes in algebra you will use the initial letter of a word to stand in for that word. For example, the area of a square can be found by multiplying the length by the length.
In algebra, letters are used when numbers are not known. Algebraic terms, such as \(2s\) or \(8y\), leave the multiplication signs out. So rather than \(2 \times s\), write \(2s\), and rather than ...
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To the editor: In all my years of undergraduate and graduate studies, I can't remember ever thinking, "Gee, I sure wish I had taken more algebra in high school." ("UC stirs furious debate over ...