During the last couple weeks, we have been learning about combining like terms and polynomials in math class. We then had to design and present a driving question that could be whatever we wanted, and we worked on these projects in groups of 2. I was with Kailey, and we chose to look at how combining like terms and polynomials are used in the work force.

But first, a question my mom had. “What are like terms and polynomials?” Polynomials are any mathematical equation that has;
1 or more terms (parts that are separated by either an addition or subtraction symbol)
Variables
Exponents
Every equation is a polynomial, except ones that have something in them that makes them not a polynomial. For example;
dividing a variable
Negative exponents
Even just “1” is a polynomial, despite not having an exponent of variable. Remember, an exponent and a variable can be whatever you want them to be, so you could write it as “1y^1”. Y is 1, so its “ 1 Times y^1”.

Like terms are any term that have the same variable and exponent. For example;
1x, 5x
2ab, 7ab
4y^3, 8y^3
Also, if a term has multiple variables, like 2ab, it doesn’t matter which order the letters are in. You can combine terms like:
2ab, 3ba
5efx, 8fex, 7xfe, 11xef
The following are NOT like terms;
2y, 3x
4ab, 3a, 7b

Now then, the project itself. We chose to look at the usage of polynomials and combining like terms in the work force. We chose three different jobs that use combining like terms, stuck them on a slide show, and presented it to the class. The three jobs are Economists, Foresters, and Engineers. And before you leave a comment saying “umm, actually, there is a large range of different engineering jobs, just saying ‘engineering’ isn’t enough.”, we talked about how all engineers use like terms, not just one type.

I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but I don’t think I did enough work on the presentation. Kailey was the one who put the slide show together, and the one who wrote the script. All I did was some lacklustre research and some final edits. For the rest of my projects, I want to be helping out as much as I can, so I don’t feel as guilty as I do with this one.

I’m upset about the research too, I searched for a couple hours, and couldn’t find much about how foresters used like terms. All I could find was that foresters use them to calculate the amount of trees they need to replant after cutting down a section of forest.