Guest Post: Solving Absolute Value Equations Amongst A Trivial Creativity

Good morning! Today, I'm happy to part a invitee post service alongside you lot from Beaura Cavalier. She is a high schoolhouse math instructor inward Arkansas, together with I am together with then excited to part alongside you lot what she has to nation nearly educational activity students to solve absolute value equations alongside a picayune creativity. I'll permit her accept it away!

I was trying to respect a agency to help my Algebra 1 students recollect how to produce Absolute Value Equations. During a class, I came upward alongside the next analogy.

Okay, together with then hither is the problem.

The prisoners (3x – 1) are inward jail (absolute value bars). They desire to run out of jail, exactly get down they stimulate got to expression until their visitors (any release exterior of the absolute value bars) leave. So, add, subtract, multiply, or split upward (on both sides of the equation) to learn their visitors to leave.

Now that you lot stimulate got the prisoners all past times themselves (in their jail cell) on 1 side of the equal sign, they prisoners tin learn parole! Once they are released from jail, they stimulate got 2 options. They tin select to hold upward adept (equal to the positive of whatever is on the other side of the equal sign) or they tin select to hold upward bad (equal to the negative of what is on the other side of the equal sign).

Then solve both equations to learn 2 values for x.

The students laughed at my ideas, exactly forthwith they are quick to betoken out that the prisoners stimulate got the selection of beingness bad or good, together with then ten has 2 values!

Thank you lot together with then much Beaura for sharing a combat of your classroom alongside us!