forgive me I am not mathy and this may be quite laughable to many of you but humour me
are these examples of algebra?
9 + 8 = ?
5 + x = 10
my understanding is that algebra is the use of symbols to solve an unknown (in these cases the use of a question mark or an x)
I was trying to have a conversation with DDs' teacher about progressing them in algebra and her response was "but we don't do algebra in Kindy and unlikley to do it for many many years yet". Yet isn't using a question mark or an empty box to denote a numerical value that needs a solution algebra? isn't the teacher already doing algreba with them (albeit in it's most basic form?). If DD6s' read a math problem and then simplify it to 5 + empty box = 10 and then solve the empty box are they not using algebra?
OK, I'm ready to be laughed at now
