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# algebra

«algebra» in Mova's school dictionary: **the part of maths that uses letters and symbols, such as…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (algebra, uncountable)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Algebra is the part of maths that uses letters and symbols, such as x or n, to stand for numbers that are unknown or that can change. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/algebra/#m1)

2) Algebra is also the rules for working with these letters in expressions, equations and formulas. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/algebra/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In school maths algebra starts with missing number problems (□ + 3 = 7) and grows into equations (x + 3 = 7, so x = 4), formulas (area = length × width) and sequences (the nth term is 2n + 1). The word comes from Arabic «al-jabr», from a book by the Persian scholar al-Khwarizmi. Phrases: do algebra, algebra lesson, solve with algebra.

### examples

- In algebra, we can use n to stand for any number. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/algebra/#x1)
- Algebra helps us solve problems like «I think of a number, add 5 and get 12». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/algebra/#x2)
- If 2x = 10, algebra tells us x = 5. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/algebra/#x3)
- Our algebra homework was about simplifying expressions. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/algebra/#x4)
- The formula for the perimeter of a square is P = 4s; that's algebra. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/algebra/#x5)
- The word algebra comes from Arabic. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/algebra/#x6)
- My big sister says algebra is like a puzzle with letters. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/algebra/#x7)
- Then he tried to do the sum by algebra, by simple and by quadratic equations, by trigonometry, by logarithms, and by conic sections. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/algebra/#x8)

### note

Uncountable: «some algebra», not «an algebra» (except in university maths). In algebra 3n means 3 × n, and n² means n × n. A letter in one problem keeps the same value throughout that problem. Adjective: algebraic.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «algebra» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/algebra/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.