Math With Miss S Ep 1_ Variables

[00:00:00]

Well, hey guys, this is Miss S and welcome to the first episode of our podcast,
Math with Miss S. So today we're going to be talking about variables. And a
little bit about why we're doing this is because now that we've reached algebra,
we're going to be using variables a lot. And this can be a tricky concept for a lot
of students.

So the first thing we're going to do is simply talk about what a variable is and
why we use them. So in simple words, a variable is any letter that represents a
math number. So think of the letters of the alphabet. Any single one of those, if
we're using that in the place of a number, is a variable.

So the ones that you're probably going to see the most commonly used are going
to [00:01:00] be X or Y. Not necessarily a reason for that, but when you're
looking at your worksheets and your notes, that's probably what you're going to
see come up most of the time. But let's get to the real question, and that's why
do we use variables?

So the reason that we use variables is because in our everyday life, there's a lot
of things that remain constant. So if you want to take a second and just think
about a couple of those. So one of the first things you might have come up with
as a constant might be your birthday. That's something that's going to stay the
same your entire life.

However, there's also things like your age or your height or your weight that
might change throughout your life. And these are also examples of variables. So
as we just said that in algebra, we think of a variable as a symbol, typically a
letter. They are taking the place of an unknown number that can be changed
throughout the [00:02:00] problem and is not fixed.

So what I want you guys to do with this information is take some time today
and brainstorm. Maybe it's when you're taking notes or doing your homework or
just hanging out with friends after school. Try and come up with two to three
examples of things that change and might have a varying quantity.
Something that we might represent with a letter in an algebra problem.
Something that's a variable. And I can't wait to hear what you guys come up
with.

Thank you guys for taking the time to listen to this recording. And I look
forward to talking with you guys on our next episode.