Math 8 A/B

Mathematics is the study of patterns around us.  In Math 8, Semester A, you will explore transformations and solve linear equations.  You will also solve real-world problems with two linear equations.  In this course, you will study and interpret functions that can help you solve problems you encounter in everyday life.  Course Goals By the end of Semester A, you will: Explore and verify the properties of transformations and describe their effects.  Understand that two figures are congruent or similar if one can be obtained from the other by a sequence of rotations, reflections, or translations.  Examine the properties of the angles created when parallel lines are cut by a transversal.  Solve linear equations with rational coefficients and give examples of linear equations with one, infinitely many, or no solutions.  Graph proportional relationships, interpreting the unit rate as the slope, and compare two different proportional relationships represented in different ways.  Derive the equations y = mx and y = mx + b.  Use similar triangles to explain why the slope is the same between any two points on a line.  Solve a system of linear equations algebraically and by finding the point of intersection.  Solve real-world and mathematical problems with two linear equations.  Understand functions, describe properties of linear and nonlinear functions, and compare properties of functions represented in different ways.  Construct and interpret functions given in verbal descriptions, two coordinate values, tables, or a graph.   By the end of Semester B, you will:  Explore properties of exponents, and understand the use of scientific notation.   Compare, add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers expressed in scientific notation.   Work with square and cube roots, and use decimal expansion to understand the real number system.   Plot and compare irrational numbers, and simplify expressions with irrational numbers.   Apply facts about angle relationships in triangles.   Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find unknown side lengths and to find the distance between two points in a coordinate system.   Learn the formulas for the volume of cones, cylinders, and spheres, and use them to solve real-world and mathematical problems.   Interpret and describe data in scatter plots, and informally fit lines to model data in scatter plots.   Apply linear equations from scatter plots, and construct and apply two-way tables.