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Intermediate Algebra: Concepts and

Applications 10th Edition, (Ebook PDF)


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Intermediate

CONCEPTS AND APPLICATIONS


ALGEBRA TENTH EDITION

Bittinger | Ellenbogen | Johnson


vi Con te n ts

8.6 Quadratic Functions and 9.6 Solving Exponential Equations and


Their Graphs  540 Logarithmic Equations  626
The Graph of f 1x2 = ax2 • Solving Exponential Equations • Solving
The Graph of f1x2 = a1x - h2 2 • Logarithmic Equations
The Graph of f1x2 = a1x - h2 2 + k
Connecting the Concepts   630
8.7 More About Graphing
9.7 Applications of Exponential Functions
Quadratic Functions  549
2
Graphing f 1x2 = ax + bx + c • and Logarithmic Functions   633
Finding Intercepts Applications of Logarithmic Functions •
Applications of Exponential Functions
8.8 Problem Solving and
Visualizing for Success    645
Quadratic Functions  555
Maximum and Minimum Problems • Study Summary    647
Fitting Quadratic Functions to Data Review Exercises    649
Test   651
8.9 Polynomial Inequalities and
Rational Inequalities  565 Cumulative Review: Chapters 1–9    652
Quadratic and Other Polynomial Inequalities •
Rational Inequalities
CHAPTER 10
Visualizing for Success    574
Conic Sections 653
Study Summary    576 10.1 Conic Sections: Parabolas
Review Exercises    578
Test   581 and Circles  654
Parabolas • Circles
Cumulative Review: Chapters 1–8    582
10.2 Conic Sections: Ellipses   663
Ellipses Centered at (0, 0) • Ellipses Centered
CHAPTER 9 at 1h, k2

Exponential Functions and 10.3 Conic Sections: Hyperbolas   670


Hyperbolas • Hyperbolas (Nonstandard Form) •
Logarithmic Functions 583 Classifying Graphs of Equations
9.1 Composite Functions and Connecting the Concepts   676
Inverse Functions  584
Mid-Chapter Review  679
Composite Functions • Inverses and One-to-One
Functions • Finding Formulas for Inverses • 10.4 Nonlinear Systems of Equations   680
Graphing Functions and Their Inverses • Systems Involving One Nonlinear Equation •
Inverse Functions and Composition Systems of Two Nonlinear Equations •
9.2 Exponential Functions  596 Problem Solving
Graphing Exponential Functions • Equations with Visualizing for Success 688
x and y Interchanged • Applications of Exponential
Functions Study Summary    690
Review Exercises    692
9.3 Logarithmic Functions  604 Test   693
The Meaning of Logarithms • Graphs of
Logarithmic Functions • Equivalent Equations • Cumulative Review: Chapters 1–10 694
Solving Certain Logarithmic Equations
9.4 Properties of Logarithmic Functions   610 CHAPTER 11
Logarithms of Products • Logarithms of Powers •
Logarithms of Quotients • Using the Properties Sequences, Series, and
Together the Binomial Theorem 695
Mid-Chapter Review  618 11.1 Sequences and Series   696
9.5 Common Logarithms and Sequences • Finding the General Term •
Sums and Series • Sigma Notation
Natural Logarithms  619
Common Logarithms on a Calculator • The Base e 11.2 Arithmetic Sequences and Series   702
and Natural Logarithms on a Calculator • Changing Arithmetic Sequences • Sum of the First n Terms
Logarithmic Bases • Graphs of Exponential of an Arithmetic Sequence • Problem Solving
Functions and Logarithmic Functions, Base e

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Con te n t s vii

11.3 Geometric Sequences and Series   710


Geometric Sequences • Sum of the First n Terms A key to the icons in the
of a Geometric Sequence • Infinite Geometric exercise sets
Series • Problem Solving
 Concept reinforcement exercises, indi-
Connecting the Concepts   715 cated by blue exercise numbers, provide
basic practice with the new concepts and
Mid-Chapter Review  721
vocabulary.
11.4 The Binomial Theorem   722 a!
Aha! Exercises labeled Ah indicate the first
Binomial Expansion Using Pascal’s Triangle • time that a new insight can greatly simplify
Binomial Expansion Using Factorial Notation
a problem and help students be alert to
Visualizing for Success    730 using that insight on following exercises.
They are not more difficult.
Study Summary    732
Review Exercises    733 Calculator exercises are designed to be
Test   735 worked using either a scientific calculator
or a graphing calculator.
Cumulative Review/Final Exam:
Chapters 1–11    736 Graphing calculator exercises are designed
to be worked using a graphing calculator
Answers  A-1 and often provide practice for concepts
­discussed in the Technology Connections.
Glossary  G-1
Writing exercises are designed to be
Index  I-1 answered using one or more complete
Index of Applications  I-9 sentences.
Photo Credits  I-14 ✓ A check mark in the annotated instructor’s
edition indicates Synthesis exercises that
the authors consider particularly beneficial
for students.
The research icon indicates an exercise in
which students are asked to use research
skills to extend or to explore further
applications from the text.

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Preface
Welcome to the tenth edition of Intermediate Algebra: Concepts and Applications, one of three
programs in an algebra series that also includes Elementary and Intermediate Algebra: Concepts
and Applications, Seventh Edition, and Elementary Algebra: Concepts and Applications, Tenth
Edition. As always, our goal is to present the content of the course clearly yet with enough depth
to allow success in future courses. You will recognize many proven features, applications, and
explanations; you will also find new material developed as a result of our experience in the class-
room as well as from insights from faculty and students.

Understanding and Applying Concepts


Our goal is to help today’s students learn and retain mathematical concepts. To achieve this,
we feel that we must prepare students in developmental mathematics for the transition from
“skills-oriented” elementary algebra courses to more “concept-oriented” college-level math-
ematics courses. This requires the development of critical thinking skills: to reason mathe-
matically, to communicate mathematically, and to identify and solve mathematical problems.

Following are aspects of our approach that we use to help meet the challenges we all face when
teaching developmental mathematics.

Problem We use problem solving and applications to motivate the students wherever possible, and we
Solving include real-life applications and problem-solving techniques throughout the text. Problem solv-
ing encourages students to think about how mathematics can be used, and it helps to prepare
them for more advanced material in future courses.
In Chapter 1, we introduce our five-step process for solving problems: (1) Familiarize, (2)
Translate, (3) Carry out, (4) Check, and (5) State the answer. Repeated use of this problem-
solving strategy throughout the text provides students with a starting point for any type of prob-
lem they encounter, and frees them to focus on the unique aspects of the particular problem. We
often use estimation and carefully checked guesses to help with the Familiarize and Check steps
(see pp. 169 and 394).

Applications Interesting, contemporary applications of mathematics, many of which make use of real data, help
motivate students and instructors. In this new edition, we have updated real-world data examples
and exercises to include subjects such as website design (p. 123), college readiness (p. 195), and
bald eagles (p. 636). For a complete list of applications and the page numbers on which they can
be found, please refer to the Index of Applications at the back of the book.

Conceptual Growth in mathematical ability includes not only mastering skills and procedures but also deepening
Understanding understanding of mathematical concepts. We are careful to explain the reasoning and the principles
behind procedures and to use accurate mathematical terminology in our discussion. In addition, we
provide a variety of opportunities for students to develop their understanding of mathematical con-
cepts, including making connections between concepts, learning through active exploration, applying
and extending concepts, using new vocabulary, communicating comprehension through writing, and
employing research skills to extend their examination of a topic.

ix

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x PR eface

Guided Learning Path


To enhance the learning process and improve learner outcomes, our program provides a broad
range of support for students and instructors. Each person can personalize his or her learning or
teaching experience by accessing help when he or she needs it.

PREPARE: Studying the Concepts


Students can learn about each math concept by reading the textbook or etext, watching the
To-the-Point Objective videos, participating in class, working in the MyMathGuide workbook—
or using whatever combination of these course resources works best for him or her.

d! Text The exposition, examples, and exercises have been carefully reviewed and, as appropriate,
ance
Enh revised or replaced. New features (see below) include more systematic review and preparation for
practice, as well as stronger focus on the real-world applications for the math.

ced
! MyMathLab has been greatly expanded for this course, including adding more ways for students
an
Enh to personalize their learning path so they can effectively study, master, and retain the math. (See
pp. xiv–xv for more details.)

To-the-Point Objective Videos is a comprehensive program of objective-based, interactive


videos that can be used hand-in-hand with the MyMathGuide workbook. Video support for
Interactive Your Turn exercises in the videos prompts students to solve problems and receive
instant feedback.

MyMathGuide: Notes, Practice, and Video Path is an objective-based workbook (available in


print and in MyMathLab) for guided, hands-on learning. It offers vocabulary, skill, and concept
review; and problem-solving practice with space for students to fill in the answers and stepped-out
solutions to problems, show their work, and write notes. Students can use MyMathGuide—while
watching the videos, listening to the instructor’s lecture, or reading the textbook or etext—to rein-
force and self-assess their learning.

PARTICIPATE: Making Connections through Active Exploration


Knowing that developing a solid grasp of the big picture is a key to student success, we offer many
opportunities for active learning to help students practice, review, and confirm their understand-
ing of key concepts and skills.

New
! Chapter Opener Applications with Infographics use current data and applications to present
the math in context. Each application is related to exercises in the text to help students model,
visualize, learn, and retain the math. We also added many new spotlights on real people sharing
how they use math in their careers.

Algebraic–Graphical Connections, which appear occasionally throughout the text, draw explicit
connections between the algebra and the corresponding graphical visualizations. (See pp. 154
and 504.)

Exploring the Concept, appearing once in nearly every chapter, encourages students to think
about or visualize a key mathematical concept. (See pp. 171 and 480.) These activities lead into
the Active Learning Figure interactive animations available in MyMathLab. Students can manip-
ulate Active Learning Figures through guided and open-ended exploration to further solidify
their understanding of these concepts.

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P re face xi

Connecting the Concepts summarizes concepts from several sections or chapters and illustrates
connections between them. Appearing at least once in every chapter, this feature includes a set of
mixed exercises to help students make these connections. (See pp. 261 and 339.)

Technology Connection is an optional feature in each chapter that helps students use a graphing
calculator or a graphing calculator app to visualize concepts. Exercises are included with many
of these features, and additional exercises in many exercise sets are marked with a graphing cal-
culator icon to indicate more practice with this optional use of technology. (See pp. 77 and 541.)

Student Notes in the margin offer just-in-time suggestions ranging from avoiding common mis-
takes to how to best read new notation. Conversational in tone, they give students extra explana-
tion of the mathematics appearing on that page. (See pp. 22 and 491.)

Study Skills, ranging from time management to test preparation, appear once per section through­
out the text. These suggestions for successful study habits apply to any college course and any level of
student. (See pp. 181 and 224.)

Chapter Resources are additional learning materials compiled at the end of each chapter, mak-
ing them easy to integrate into the course at the most appropriate time. The mathematics neces-
sary to use the resource has been presented by the end of the section indicated with each resource.
• Translating for Success and Visualizing for Success. These are matching exercises that help stu-
dents learn to translate word problems to mathematical language and to graph equations and
inequalities. (See pp. 63 and 213.)
• Collaborative Activity. Students who work in groups generally outperform those who do not, so
these optional activities direct them to explore mathematics together. Additional collaborative
activities and suggestions for directing collaborative learning appear in the Instructor’s Resources
Manual with Tests and Mini Lectures. (See pp. 424 and 575.)
• Decision Making: Connection. Although many applications throughout the text involve deci-
sion-making situations, this feature specifically applies the math of each chapter to a context in
which students may be involved in decision making. (See pp. 272 and 646.)

PRACTICE: Reinforcing Understanding


As students explore the math, they have frequent opportunities to practice, self-assess, and rein-
force their understanding.

Your Turn Exercises, following every example, direct students to work a similar exercise. This
provides immediate reinforcement of concepts and skills. Answers to these exercises appear at
the end of each exercise set. (See pp. 75 and 393.)

New
! Check Your Understanding offers students the chance to reflect on the concepts just discussed
before beginning the exercise set. Designed to examine or extend students’ understanding of one
or more essential concepts of the section, this set of questions could function as an “exit ticket”
after an instructional session. (See pp. 174 and 313.)

Mid-Chapter Review offers an opportunity for active review in the middle of every chapter. A
brief summary of the concepts covered in the first part of the chapter is followed by two guided
solutions to help students work step-by-step through solutions and a set of mixed review exer-
cises. (See pp. 188 and 390.)

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xii pre face

Exercise Sets
• Vocabulary and Reading Check exercises begin every exercise set and are designed to encourage
the student to read the section. Students who can complete these exercises should be prepared
to begin the remaining exercises in the exercise set. (See pp. 482 and 559.)
• Concept Reinforcement exercises can be true/false, matching, and/or fill-in-the-blank and appear
near the beginning of many exercise sets. They are designed to build students’ confidence and
comprehension. Answers to all concept reinforcement exercises appear in the answer section at
the back of the book. (See pp. 242 and 417.)
• Aha! exercises are not more difficult than neighboring exercises; in fact, they can be solved more
quickly, without lengthy computation, if the student has the proper insight. They are designed to
encourage students to “look before they leap.” An icon indicates the first time that a new insight
applies, and then it is up to the student to determine when to use that insight on subsequent
exercises. (See pp. 54 and 453.)
• Skill Review exercises appear in every section beginning with Section 1.2. Taken together, each
chapter’s Skill Review exercises review all the major concepts covered in previous chapters in the
text. Often these exercises focus on a single topic, such as solving equations, from multiple perspec-
tives. (See pp. 399 and 719.)
• Synthesis exercises appear in each exercise set following the Skill Review exercises. Students
will often need to use skills and concepts from earlier sections to solve these problems, and this
will help them develop deeper insights into the current topic. The Synthesis exercises are a real
strength of the text, and in the annotated instructor’s edition, the authors have placed a ✓ next
to selected synthesis exercises that they suggest instructors “check out” and consider assigning.
These exercises may be more accessible to students than the surrounding exercises, they may
extend concepts beyond the scope of the text discussion, or they may be especially beneficial in
preparing students for future topics. (See pp. 244, 299, and 372–373.)
• Writing exercises appear just before the Skill Review exercises, and at least two more challeng-
ing exercises appear in the Synthesis exercises. Writing exercises aid student comprehension
by requiring students to use critical thinking to explain concepts in one or more complete sen-
tences. Because correct answers may vary, the only writing exercises for which answers appear at
the back of the text are those in the chapter’s review exercises. (See pp. 186 and 643.)
• Quick Quizzes with five questions appear near the end of each exercise set beginning with the
second section in each chapter. Containing questions from sections already covered in the chap-
ter, these quizzes provide a short but consistent review of the material in the chapter and help
students prepare for a chapter test. (See pp. 129 and 253.)
• Prepare to Move On is a short set of exercises that appears at the end of every exercise set. It
reviews concepts and skills previously covered in the text that will be used in the next section of
the text. (See pp. 179 and 322.)

Study Summary gives students a fast and effective review of key chapter terms and concepts at
the end of each chapter. Concepts are paired with worked-out examples and practice exercises for
active learning and review. (See pp. 141 and 496.)

Chapter Review and Test offers a thorough chapter review, and a practice test helps to prepare
students for a test covering the concepts presented in each chapter. (See pp. 349 and 649.)

Cumulative Review appears after every chapter beginning with Chapter 2 to help students retain
and apply their knowledge from previous chapters. (See pp. 222 and 432.)

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preface xiii

Acknowledgments
An outstanding team of professionals was involved in the production of this text. Judy Henn,
Laurie Hurley, Helen Medley, Tamera Drozd, and Mike Penna carefully checked the book for
accuracy and offered thoughtful suggestions.
Martha Morong, of Quadrata, Inc., provided editorial and production services of the highest
quality, and Geri Davis, of the Davis Group, Inc., performed superb work as designer, art editor, and
photo researcher. Network Graphics provided the accurate and creative illustrations and graphs.
The team at Pearson deserves special thanks. Courseware Portfolio Manager Cathy Cantin,
Content Producer Ron Hampton, and Courseware Portfolio Management Assistant Alison
Oehmen provided many fine suggestions, coordinated tasks and schedules, and remained involved
and accessible throughout the project. Product Marketing Manager Kyle DiGiannantonio
­skillfully kept in touch with the needs of faculty. Director, Courseware Portfolio Management
Michael Hirsch and VP, Courseware Portfolio Manager Chris Hoag deserve credit for assembling
this fine team.
We thank the following professors for their thoughtful reviews and insightful comments:
Shawna Haider, Salt Lake Community College; Ashley Nicoloff, Glendale Community College;
and Jane Thompson, Waubonsee Community College
Finally, a special thank-you to all those who so generously agreed to discuss their profes-
sional use of mathematics in our chapter openers. These dedicated people all share a desire to
make math more meaningful to students. We cannot imagine a finer set of role models.
M.L.B.
D.J.E.
B.L.J.

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Resources for Success
MyMathLab® Online Course
The course for Intermediate Algebra: Concepts and Applications, 10th Edition, includes all of
MyMathLab’s robust features and functionality, plus these additional highlights.

New
!
Workspace
Workspace Assignments allow students to work through an
exercise step by step, showing their mathematical reasoning.
Students receive immediate feedback after they complete each
step, and helpful hints and videos are available for guidance,
as needed. When students access Workspace using a mobile
device, handwriting-recognition software allows them to write
out answers naturally using their fingertip or a stylus.

New
!
Learning Catalytics
Learning Catalytics uses students’ mobile devices
for an engagement, assessment, and classroom
intelligence system that gives instructors real-time
feedback on student learning.

!
New Skill Builder Adaptive Practice
When a student struggles with assigned homework, Skill
Builder exercises offer just-in-time additional adaptive practice. The
adaptive engine tracks student performance and delivers questions
to each individual that adapt to his or her level of understanding.
When the system has determined that the student has a high prob-
ability of successfully completing the assigned exercise, it suggests
that the student return to the assignment. When Skill Builder is
enabled for an assignment, students can choose to do the extra
practice without being prompted. This new feature allows instruc-
tors to assign fewer questions for homework so that students can
complete as many or as few questions as needed.

Interactive Exercises
MyMathLab’s hallmark interactive exercises help build
problem-solving skills and foster conceptual understanding. For
this seventh edition, Guided Solutions exercises were added to
Mid-Chapter Reviews to reinforce the step-by-step problem-
solving process, while the new Drag & Drop functionality was
applied to matching exercises throughout the course to better
assess a student’s understanding of the concepts.

www.mymathlab.com

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Resources for Success
In addition to robust course delivery, the full eText, and many assignable exercises and
media assets, MyMathLab also houses the following materials to help instructors and
students use this program most effectively according to his or her needs.

Student Resources Instructor Resources


To-the-Point Objective Videos Annotated Instructor’s Edition
• Concise, interactive, and objective-based videos. ISBN: 0-13-450737-1
• View a whole section, choose an objective, or go • Answers to all text exercises.
straight to an example. • Teaching tips and icons that identify writing
• Interactive Your Turn Video Check pauses for the and graphing calculator exercises.
student to work exercises.
• Seamlessly integrated with MyMathGuide: Notes, Instructor’s Solutions Manual
Practice, and Video Path. (download only)
ISBN: 0-13-449747-3
Chapter Test Prep Videos • Fully worked-out solutions to the odd-numbered
• Step-by-step solutions for every problem in the text exercises.
Chapter Tests. • Brief solutions to the even-numbered text exercises.
• Also available in MyMathLab
Instructor’s Resource Manual with
MyMathGuide: Tests and Mini Lectures (download only)
Notes, Practice, and Video Path ISBN: 0-13-449750-3
ISBN: 0-13-449748-1 • Designed to help both new and adjunct faculty with
• Guided, hands-on learning in a workbook format course preparation and classroom management.
with space for students to show their work and • Teaching tips correlated to the text by section.
record their notes and questions. • Multiple-choice and free-response chapter tests;
• Objective-based, correlates to the multiple final exams.
To-the-Point Objective Videos program.
• Highlights key concepts, skills, and definitions; offers PowerPoint® Lecture Slides
quick reviews of key vocabulary terms with practice (download only)
problems, examples with guided solutions, similar • Editable slides present key concepts and definitions
Your Turn exercises, and practice exercises with from the text.
readiness checks. • Also available for download through MyMathLab or
via Pearsonhighered.com/IRC.
Student’s Solutions Manual
ISBN: 0-13-449753-8 TestGen®
• Contains step-by-step solutions for all odd-numbered TestGen (www.pearsoned.com/testgen) enables
text exercises (except the writing exercises), as well instructors to build, edit, print, and administer tests
as Chapter Review, Chapter Test, and Connecting the using a computerized bank of questions developed
Concepts exercises. to cover all the objectives of the text.

www.mymathlab.com

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Chapter 1
Algebra and
Problem Solving
400
G Make Your
Own Music!
Frequency (in hertz)

350 F
E

300
1.1 Some Basics of Algebra
D
1.2 Operations and Properties
Middle C of Real Numbers
250
15 20 25
Length of pipe (in inches)
30
1.3 Solving Equations

Mid-Chapter Review

1.4 I ntroduction to
Data: The Math Behind Music by NutshellEd on youtube.com, liutaiomottola.com
Problem Solving
Formulas, Models,
1.5 
and Geometry

T
he making of music is not restricted to instruments commonly Connecting the Concepts
played in bands or orchestras. Saws, jugs, and pipes, among other
1.6 Properties of Exponents
items, have all been used to create music. In order to design
1.7 Scientific Notation
an instrument, it is important that one understand the relationship
between a note’s pitch and the length and frequency of the wave Chapter Resources

producing the sound. The table above shows the relationship Translating for Success
between several notes, their frequencies, and the lengths of PVC Collaborative Activity
Decision Making: Connection
pipe that produce those sounds when struck. Instrument design
and mathematics can help us understand the science of sound and the Study Summary

connections between music, science, and mathematics. Review Exercises


(See Exercise 57 in Exercise Set 1.5.) Chapter Test

It’s true—even as a musician, I am not exempt from


using math, because music is math.
Myra Flynn, a singer/songwriter from Randolph, Vermont, uses math
in harmonies, time signatures, tuning systems, and all music theory.
Putting an album out requires the use of even more math: calculating
the number of hours worked in the studio, payments for producers
and musicians, hard-copy and digital distribution regionally, and ticket
and concert sales.

ALF SA ALF SA Do the Student Activity in


Active Explore
Studentthe math using the Active Student
Learning Learning
Figure Active Learning Figure in MyMathLab.
Activity
Figure
Activity MyMathLab to see math in action.
1

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2 CHAPTER 1 a lg e b r a a n d p r o b l e m s o lv i n g

T he principal theme of this text is problem solving in algebra. In this chapter, we


begin with a review of algebraic expressions and equations. The use of algebra
as part of an overall strategy for solving problems is then presented. Additional and
increasing emphasis on problem solving appears throughout the book.

1.1 Some Basics of Algebra


A. Translating to Algebraic Expressions   B. Evaluating Algebraic Expressions
C. Sets of Numbers

The primary difference between algebra and arithmetic is the use of variables.
A letter that can be any one of various numbers is called a variable. If a letter
always represents a particular number that never changes, it is called a constant.
If r represents the radius of the earth, in kilometers, then r is a constant. If a rep-
resents the age of a baby chick, in minutes, then a is a variable because a changes,
or varies, as time passes. In this text, unless stated otherwise, we assume that all
letters represent variables.
An algebraic expression consists of variables and/or numerals, often with
­operation signs and grouping symbols. Some examples of algebraic expressions are:
t + 37; This contains the variable t, the constant 37, and the opera-
tion of addition.
1s + t2 , 2.  This contains the variables s and t, the constant 2, ­grouping
symbols, and the operations addition and division.
Multiplication can be written in several ways. For example, “60 times n” can
be written as 60 # n, 60 * n, 601n2, 60 * n, or simply (and usually) 60n. Division
can also be represented by a fraction bar: 97, or 9>7, means 9 , 7.
When an equals sign is placed between two expressions, an equation is
formed. We often solve equations.
For example, suppose that you collect $744 for group tickets to a concert. If
you know that each ticket costs $12, you can use an equation to determine how
many tickets were purchased.
One expression for total ticket sales is 744. Another expression for total
ticket sales is 12x, where x is the number of tickets purchased. Since these are
equal expressions, we can write the equation
12x = 744.
To find a solution, we can divide both sides of the equation by 12:
x = 744 , 12 = 62.
Thus, 62 tickets were purchased.
Using equations to solve problems like this is a major theme of algebra.

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1.1  S o m e B a s i c s o f A l g e b r a 3

A. Translating to Algebraic Expressions


To translate phrases to expressions, we need to know which words correspond to
which operations, as shown in the following table.

Key Words

Addition Subtraction Multiplication Division

add subtract multiply divide


sum of difference of product of quotient of
plus minus times divided by
increased by decreased by twice ratio
more than less than of per

When the value of a number is not given, we represent that number with a
variable.

Phrase Algebraic Expression

Five more than some number n + 5


1 t
Half of a number t, or
2 2
Five more than three times some number 3p + 5
The difference of two numbers x - y
Six less than the product of two numbers rs - 6
76
Seventy-six percent of some number 0.76z, or z
100

Example 1 Translate to an algebraic expression:


Five less than forty-three percent of the quotient of two numbers.
Solution We let r and s represent the two numbers.

10.432 #
r
- 5
s
1. Translate to an algebraic
expression: Half of the
&+1%+1$ &+1+1%+1+1$ &+1+
1 111+1%11+
+111+1$
Five less than forty-three percent of the quotient of two numbers
difference of two numbers.
YOUR TURN

Some algebraic expressions contain exponential notation. Many different


kinds of numbers can be used as exponents. Here we establish the meaning of an
when n is a counting number, 1, 2, 3, c .

Exponential Notation
The expression an, in which n is a counting number, means
# # #
$1++
# #
g a+a& .
a a a1%+1
n factors
In an, a is called the base and n is the exponent. When no exponent
appears, the exponent is assumed to be 1. Thus, a1 = a.

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4 CHAPTER 1 a l g e b r a a n d pr o b l e m s o l v i n g

The expression an is read “a raised to the nth power” or simply “a to the


nth.” We read s2 as “s-squared” and x 3 as “x-cubed.” This terminology comes from
the fact that the area of a square of side s is s # s = s2 and the volume of a cube
of side x is x # x # x = x 3.

3
Area 5 s2 s x Volume 5 x

s x
x

B. Evaluating Algebraic Expressions


When we replace a variable with a number, we say that we are substituting for the vari-
h
able. The calculation that follows the substitution is called evaluating the expression.
Geometric formulas are often evaluated. In the following example, we use the
b formula for the area of a triangle with a base of length b and a height of length h.
1
Area 5 A 5 –– bh
2 Example 2 The base of a triangular sail is 3.1 m and the height is 4 m. Find
the area of the sail.

4m

3.1 m

Solution We substitute 3.1 for b and 4 for h and multiply to evaluate the
expression:
2. The base of a triangle is 5 ft 1
2
#b#h = 12 # 3.1 # 4
and the height is 3 ft. Find the
area of the triangle. = 6.2 square meters 1sq m or m22.
YOUR TURN

Exponential notation tells us that 52 means 5 # 5, or 25, but what does


1 + 2 # 52 mean? If we add 1 and 2 and multiply by 25, we get 75. If we multiply
2 times 52 and add 1, we get 51. A third possibility is to square 2 # 5 to get 100
and then add 1. The following convention indicates that only the second of these
approaches is correct: We square 5, then multiply, and then add.

Student Notes
Rules for Order of Operations
Step (3) states that when divi-
sion precedes multiplication, the 1. Simplify within any grouping symbols such as 1 2, 3 4, 5 6, work-
division is performed first. Thus, ing in the innermost symbols first.
20 , 5 # 2 represents 4 # 2, or 8. 2. Simplify all exponential expressions.
Similarly, 9 - 3 + 1 represents 3. Perform all multiplication and division, working from left to right.
6 + 1, or 7. 4. Perform all addition and subtraction, working from left to right.

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1.1 Some Basics of Algebra 5

Example 3 Evaluate 5 + 21a - 12 2 for a = 4.


Solution
5 + 21a - 12 2 = 5 + 214 - 12 2  Substituting
= 5 + 2132 2   Working within parentheses first
= 5 + 2192   Simplifying 32
= 5 + 18   Multiplying
3. Evaluate 21x + 12 2 - 10 for
= 23   Adding
x = 5.
YOUR TURN

Step (3) in the rules for order of operations tells us to divide before we mul-
Caution! tiply when division appears first, reading left to right. This means that an expres-
6 , 2x = 16 , 22x, sion like 6 , 2x means 16 , 22x.
6
6 , 12x2 = , Example 4 Evaluate 9 - x 3 + 6 , 2y2 for x = 2 and y = 5.
2x
6 , 2x does not mean Solution
6 , 12x2. 9 - x 3 + 6 , 2y2 = 9 - 23 + 6 , 2152 2  Substituting
= 9 - 8 + 6 , 2 # 25   Simplifying 23 and 52
= 9 - 8 + 3 # 25   Dividing
= 9 - 8 + 75   Multiplying
= 1 + 75   Subtracting
4. Evaluate 8a2 , 5b - 4 + a
= 76   Adding
for a = 5 and b = 2.
YOUR TURN

Check Your C. Sets of Numbers


Understanding When evaluating algebraic expressions, and in problem solving in general, we
often must examine the type of numbers used. For example, if a formula is used
Choose from the following to determine an optimal class size, fractions must be rounded up or down, since
expressions an appropriate it is impossible to have a fraction part of a student. Three frequently used sets of
algebraic translation of each numbers are listed below.
phrase.
a) 0.06 x + 1 Natural Numbers, Whole Numbers, and Integers
b) x + y - 6 Natural Numbers (or Counting Numbers)
c) 3(x + y) Those numbers used for counting: 51, 2, 3, c6
d) 2(x - y)
1
Whole Numbers
e) 3x The set of natural numbers with 0 included: 50, 1, 2, 3, c6
x
f) - 3 Integers
y
The set of all whole numbers and their opposites:
1. One-third of a number
2. Six less than the sum of two 5c , -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, c6
numbers The dots are called ellipses and indicate that the pattern continues
3. Twice the difference of two without end.
numbers
4. One more than six percent of
a number Integers correspond to the points on the number line as follows:
5. Three less than the quotient
27 26 25 24 23 22 21 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
of two numbers
6. The product of three and the The set containing the numbers -2, 1, and 3 can be written 5 -2, 1, 36. This
sum of two numbers set is written using roster notation, in which all members of a set are listed. Roster
notation was used for the three sets listed above. A second type of set notation,

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6 CHAPTER 1 a lg e b r a a n d p r o b l e m s o lv i n g

set-builder notation, specifies conditions under which a number is in the set. The
following example of set-builder notation is read as shown:
5x  x is a number between 1 and 56

&+1%+1$ &+
11++111+1%111+
++11+1$
“The set of x is a number between 1 and 5”
   all x ˛˝¸
such
that
Set-builder notation is generally used when it is difficult to list a set using roster
notation.

Example 5 Using both roster notation and set-builder notation, represent


the set consisting of the first 15 even natural numbers.
Solution
5. Using both roster notation Using roster notation: 52, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 306
and set-builder notation, Using set-builder notation: 5n  n is an even number between 1 and 316
represent the set of all
multiples of 5 between Note that other descriptions of the set are possible. For example, 52x  x is an
1 and 21. integer and 1 … x … 156 is a common way of writing this set.
YOUR TURN

The symbol ∈ is used to indicate that an element or a member belongs to a


set. Thus if A = 52, 4, 6, 86, we can write 4 ∈ A to indicate that 4 is an element
of A. We can also write 5 o A to indicate that 5 is not an element of A.

Example 6 Classify the statement 8 ∈ 5x  x is an integer6 as either true or false.


6. Classify the statement
1 Solution Since 8 is an integer, the statement is true. In other words, since 8
2 ∈ 5x x is a whole number6
as either true or false. is an integer, it belongs to the set of all integers.
YOUR TURN

Using set-builder notation, we can describe the set of all rational numbers.

Rational Numbers
Numbers that can be expressed as an integer divided by a nonzero
integer are called rational numbers:
p
b ` p is an integer, q is an integer, and q ≠ 0 r.
q

Rational numbers can be written using fraction notation or decimal notation.


Fraction notation uses symbolism like the following:
5 12 -17 9 39 0
, , , - , , .
8 -7 15 7 1 6
In decimal notation, rational numbers either terminate (end) or repeat a block of
digits.
For example, decimal notation for 58 terminates, since 58 means 5 , 8, and long
division shows that 58 = 0.625, a decimal that ends, or terminates.
6
On the other hand, decimal notation for 11 repeats, since 6 , 11 = 0.5454 c,
a repeating decimal. Repeating decimal notation can be abbreviated by writing a
bar over the repeating part—in this case, 0.54.

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1.1 Some Basics of Algebra 7

Many numbers, like p, 12, and - 115, are not rational numbers. For exam-
Technology Connection ple, 12 is the number for which 12 # 12 = 2. A calculator’s representation of
12 as 1.414213562 is an approximation since 11.4142135622 2 is not exactly 2.
Technology Connections are To see that 12 is a “real” point on the number line, we can show that when
activities that make use of fea- a right triangle has two legs of length 1, the remaining side has length 12. Thus
tures that are common to most we can “measure” 12 units and locate 12 on the number line.
graphing calculators. Students
]
may consult a user’s manual 2
]
1 2
for exact keystrokes. Most
graphing calculators share the 1 ]
following characteristics. 22 21 0 1 2 2

Screen. The large screen can Numbers like p, 12, and - 115 are said to be irrational. Decimal notation
show graphs and tables as well for irrational numbers neither terminates nor repeats.
as the expressions entered. The set of all rational numbers, combined with the set of all irrational num-
Computations are performed bers, gives us the set of all real numbers.
in the home screen. On many
calculators, the home screen
is accessed by pressing F Real Numbers
o. The cursor shows loca- Numbers that are either rational or irrational are called real numbers:
tion on the screen, and the
­contrast (set by F h or 5x  x is rational or x is irrational6.
F e) determines how dark
the characters appear.
Every point on the number line represents some real number, and every real
Keypad. To access options number is represented by some point on the number line.
written above the keys, we
] ] }
press F or I and Real Irrational numbers 2 2 2 p 15
then the key. Expressions Numbers 5 1 5
Rational numbers 22 22 21 22 0 1 1.4 2 2 3 22
2 4
are generally entered as they 3 2 2 7

would appear in print. For


The following figure shows the relationships among various kinds of num-
example, to evaluate 3xy + x
bers, along with examples of how real numbers can be sorted.
for x = 65 and y = 92, we
press 3 b 65 b 92 a
Real numbers:
65 and then [. The value } 4 2 }
219, 2 10, 21, 22 , 0, 2
3 , 1, p, 15, 17.8, 39
of the expression, 18005, will 7

appear at the right of the


screen.
Rational numbers: Irrational numbers:
3∗65∗92165 4 2 } }
18005 219, 21,227 , 0, 2
3 , 1, 17.8, 39 2 10, p, 15

Evaluate each of the Integers: Rational numbers


following. that are not integers:
219, 21, 0, 1, 39 4 2
1. 27a - 18b, for a = 136 22,
7 3
2, 17.8
and b = 13
2. 19xy - 9x + 13y, for
x = 87 and y = 29
Negative integers: Whole numbers:
219, 21 0, 1, 39

Zero: Positive integers


or natural numbers:
0
1, 39

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8 CHAPTER 1 a l g e b r a a n d pr o b l e m s o l v i n g

Example 7 Which numbers in the following list are (a) whole numbers?
(b) integers? (c) rational numbers? (d) irrational numbers? (e) real numbers?
-29, - 74, 0, 2, 3.9, 142, 78
Solution
a) 0, 2, and 78 are whole numbers.
b) -29, 0, 2, and 78 are integers.
c) -29, - 74, 0, 2, 3.9, and 78 are rational numbers.
7. Which numbers in the
following list are integers? d) 142 is an irrational number.
2 e) -29, - 74, 0, 2, 3.9, 142, and 78 are all real numbers.
-245, 0, 15, 111, 3
YOUR TURN

When every member of one set is a member of a second set, the first set is a
subset of the second set. Thus if A = 52, 4, 66 and B = 51, 2, 4, 5, 66, we write
A ⊆ B to indicate that A is a subset of B. Similarly, if ℕ represents the set of all
natural numbers and ℤ is the set of all integers, we can write ℕ ⊆ ℤ. Additional
statements can be made using other sets in the diagram above.

Study Skills Instructor:


Get the Facts Name
Office hours and location
Throughout this textbook, you Phone number
will find a feature called Study E-mail address
Skills. These tips are intended to Classmates:
1. Name
help improve your math study Phone number
skills. On the first day of class, we E-mail address
recommend that you collect the 2. Name
Phone number
course information shown here. E-mail address
Math lab on campus:
Location
Hours
Phone number
E-mail address
Tutoring:
Campus location
Hours
E-mail address
Important supplements:
(See the preface for a complete list of available supplements.)
Supplements recommended by the instructor.

1.1
For
Exercise Set Extra
Help

Vocabulary and Reading Check 1. A letter that can be any one of a set of numbers is
called a(n) .
Choose from the following list the word or words that
best complete each statement. 2. A letter representing a specific number that never
base exponent terminating changes is called a(n) .
constant irrational value 3. When x = 10, the of the expres-
division rational variable sion 4x is 40.
evaluating repeating

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1.1  S o m e B a s i c s o f A l g e b r a 9

4. In ab, the letter a is called the In Exercises 29–32, find the area of a triangular fireplace
and the letter b is called the . with the given base and height. Use A = 12bh.
5. When all variables in a variable expression are
replaced by numbers and a result is calculated, we
say that we are the expression.
6. To calculate 4 + 12 , 3 # 2, the first operation that
we perform is .
7. A number that can be written in the form a>b,
where a and b are integers (with b ∙ 0), is said to
be a(n) number.
8. A real number that cannot be written as a
quotient of two integers is an example of a(n)
number.
7
9. Division can be used to show that 40 can be written
as a(n) decimal. 29. Base = 5 ft, height = 7 ft

10. Division can be used to show that 13 30. Base = 2.9 m, height = 2.1 m
7 can be written
as a(n) decimal. 31. Base = 7 ft, height = 3.2 ft
32. Base = 3.6 ft, height = 4 ft
A. Translating to Algebraic Expressions
Use mathematical symbols to translate each phrase. To the student and the instructor: Throughout this text,
selected exercises are marked with the icon Aha!. Students
11. Five less than some number
who pause to inspect an Aha! exercise should find the
12. Ten more than some number answer more readily than those who proceed mechanically.
This may involve looking at an earlier exercise or example,
13. Twice a number
or performing calculations in a more efficient manner.
14. Eight times a number Some Aha! exercises are left unmarked to encourage
students to always pause before working a problem.
15. Twenty-nine percent of some number
Evaluate each expression using the values provided.
16. Thirteen percent of some number
33. 31x - 72 + 2, for x = 10
17. Six less than half of a number
34. 5 + 12x - 32, for x = 8
18. Three more than twice a number
35. 12 + 31n + 22 2, for n = 1
19. Seven more than ten percent of some number
36. 1n - 102 2 - 8, for n = 15
20. Four less than six percent of some number 37. 4x + y, for x = 2 and y = 3

21. One less than the product of two numbers 38. 8a - b, for a = 5 and b = 7
39. 20 + r 2 - s, for r = 5 and s = 10
22. One more than the difference of two numbers
40. m3 + 7 - n, for m = 2 and n = 8
23. Ninety miles per every four gallons of gas
41. 2c , 3b, for b = 2 and c = 6
24. One hundred words per every sixty seconds 42. 3z , 2y, for y = 1 and z = 6

B. Evaluating Algebraic Expressions Aha! 43. 3n2p - 3pn2, for n = 5 and p = 9


In Exercises 25–28, find the area of a square flower 44. 2a3b - 2b2, for a = 3 and b = 7
garden with the given length of a side. Use A = s2.
45. 5x , 12 + x - y2, for x = 6 and y = 2
25. Side = 6 ft 26. Side = 12 ft
46. 31m + 2n2 , m, for m = 7 and n = 0
27. Side = 0.5 m 28. Side = 2.5 m
47. 310 - 1a - b242, for a = 7 and b = 2
48. 317 - 1x + y242, for x = 4 and y = 1

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10 CHAPTER 1 a l g e b r a a n d pr o b l e m s o l v i n g

49. 351r + s242, for r = 1 and s = 2 77. 110 ∈ ℝ 78. 4.3 o ℤ 79. ℤ h N
8
50. 331a - b242, for a = 7 and b = 5 80. ℚ ⊆ R 81. ℚ ⊆ Z 82. 15 ∈ℍ
51. x 2 - 331x - y242, for x = 6 and y = 4 To the student and the instructor: Writing exercises,
52. m2 - 321m - n242, for m = 7 and n = 5 denoted by , are meant to be answered using sen-
tences. Because answers to many writing exercises will
53. 1m - 2n2 2 - 21m + n2, for m = 8 and n = 1 vary, solutions are not listed at the back of the book.
54. 1r - s2 2 - 312r - s2, for r = 11 and s = 3 83. What is the difference between rational numbers
and integers?
C. Sets of Numbers 84. Charlie insists that 15 - 4 + 1 , 2 # 3 is 2. What
Use roster notation to write each set. error is he making?
55. The set of letters in the word “algebra”
Synthesis
56. The set of all days of the week
To the student and the instructor: Synthesis exercises
57. The set of all odd natural numbers
are designed to challenge students to extend the concepts
58. The set of all even natural numbers or skills studied in each section. Many synthesis exercises
require the assimilation of skills and concepts from sev-
59. The set of all natural numbers that are multiples
eral sections.
of 10
85. Is the following true or false, and why?
60. The set of all natural numbers that are multiples
52, 4, 66 ⊆ 52, 4, 66
of 5
86. On a quiz, Mia answers 6 ∈ ℤ while Giovanni
Use set-builder notation to write each set.
writes 566 ∈ ℤ. Giovanni’s answer does not receive
61. The set of all even numbers between 9 and 99 full credit while Mia’s does. Why?
62. The set of all multiples of 5 between 7 and 79 Translate to an algebraic expression.
63. 50, 1, 2, 3, 46 87. The quotient of the sum of two numbers and their
difference
64. 5 -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 26
88. Three times the sum of the cubes of two numbers
65. 511, 13, 15, 17, 196
89. Half of the difference of the squares of two
66. 524, 26, 28, 30, 326 numbers
In Exercises 67–70, which numbers in the list provided 90. The product of the difference of two numbers and
are (a) whole numbers? (b) integers? (c) rational num- their sum
bers? (d) irrational numbers? (e) real numbers?
Use roster notation to write each set.
67. -8.7, -3, 0, 23, 17, 6
91. The set of all whole numbers that are not natural
68. - 92, -4, -1.2, 0, 15, 3 numbers
69. -17, -0.01, 0, 54 , 8, 177 92. The set of all integers that are not whole numbers
99
70. -6.08, -5, 0, 1, 117, 2 93. 5x ∙ x = 5n, n is a natural number6
Classify each statement as either true or false. The fol- 94. 5x ∙ x = 3n, n is a natural number6
lowing sets are used:
95. 5x ∙ x = 2n + 1, n is a whole number6
ℕ = the set of natural numbers;
96. 5x ∙ x = 2n, n is an integer6
𝕎 = the set of whole numbers;
ℤ = the set of integers; 97. Draw a right triangle that could be used to measure
113 units.
ℚ = the set of rational numbers;
ℍ = the set of irrational numbers;
Your Turn Answers: Section 1.1
ℝ = the set of real numbers.
1. Let x and y represent the numbers: 121x - y2
71. 196 ∈ ℕ 72. ℕ ⊆ W 73. 𝕎 ⊆ Z 2. 7.5 ft 2 3. 62 4. 81 5. 55, 10, 15, 206,
2
5x∙ x is a multiple of 5 between 1 and 216 6. False
74. 18 ∈ ℚ 75. 3 ∈ℤ 76. ℍ ⊆ R 7. -245, 0, 15

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1.2  Op e r at i o n s a n d P r o p e rt i e s o f R e a l N u m b e r s 11

1.2 Operations and Properties of Real Numbers


A. Absolute Value   B. Inequalities  C. Addition, Subtraction, and Opposites
D. Multiplication, Division, and Reciprocals   E. The Commutative, Associative, and Distributive Laws

In this section, we review addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of real


numbers. We also study important rules for manipulating algebraic expressions.

A. Absolute Value
3 units 3 units Both 3 and -3 are 3 units from 0 on the number line. Thus their distance from 0
is 3. We use absolute-value notation to represent a number’s distance from 0.
23 22 21 0 1 2 3 Note that distance is never negative.

Absolute Value
The notation ∙ a ∙ , read “the absolute value of a,” represents the
­number of units that a is from 0 on the number line.

Example 1 Find the absolute value: (a) ∙ -4 ∙ ; (b) ∙ 2.5 ∙ ; (c) ∙ 0 ∙ .


24 23 22 21 0 1 2 3 4

u24u 5 4 u2.5u 5 2.5


Solution
 a) ∙ -4 ∙ = 4 -4 is 4 units from 0.
 b) ∙ 2.5 ∙ = 2.5   2.5 is 2.5 units from 0.
1. Find the absolute
value: ∙ -237 ∙.  c) ∙ 0 ∙ = 0 0 is 0 units from itself.
YOUR TURN

Since distance is never negative, absolute value is never negative.

B. Inequalities
For any two numbers on the number line, the one to the left is said to be less
than, or smaller than, the one to the right. The symbol 6 means “is less than,”
and the symbol 7 means “is greater than.” The symbol … means “is less than or
equal to,” and the symbol Ú means “is greater than or equal to.” These symbols
are used to form inequalities.
As shown in the following figure, -6 6 -1 (since -6 is to the left of -1)
and 0 -6 0 7 0 -1 0 (since 6 is to the right of 1).

27 26 25 24 23 22 21 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

|21| |26|

Example 2 Write out the meaning of each inequality and determine


whether it is a true statement.
a) -7 6 -2 b) -3 Ú -2
c) 5 … 6 d) 6 … 6

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12 CHAPTER 1 a l g e b r a a n d pr o b l e m s o l v i n g

Solution
Inequality Meaning
 a) -7 6 -2  “-7 is less than -2” is true because -7 is to the left of -2.
 b) -3 Ú -2  “-3 is greater than or equal to -2” is false because -3 is to
the left of -2.
c) 5 … 6 “5 is less than or equal to 6” is true if either 5 6 6 or 5 = 6.
2. Write out the meaning of Since 5 6 6 is true, 5 … 6 is true.
-4 … -3 and determine
whether it is a true statement. d) 6 … 6 “6 is less than or equal to 6” is true because 6 = 6 is true.
YOUR TURN

C. Addition, Subtraction, and Opposites


We are now ready to review addition of real numbers.

Addition of Two Real Numbers


1. Positive numbers: Add the numbers. The result is positive.
2. Negative numbers: Add absolute values. Make the answer negative.
3. A negative number and a positive number: If the numbers have
the same absolute value, the answer is 0. Otherwise, subtract the
smaller absolute value from the larger one.
a) If the positive number has the greater absolute value, the
­answer is positive.
b) If the negative number has the greater absolute value, the
answer is negative.
4. One number is zero: The sum is the other number.

Example 3 Add: (a) -9 + 1 -52; (b) -3.24 + 8.7; (c) - 34 + 31.


Solution
a) -9 + 1-52 We add the absolute values, getting 14. The answer is
negative: -9 + 1-52 = -14.
b) -3.24 + 8.7 The absolute values are 3.24 and 8.7. Subtract 3.24
from 8.7 to get 5.46. The positive number is further
from 0, so the answer is positive: -3.24 + 8.7 = 5.46.
3 1 9 4 9 4 5
 c) - 4 + 3 = - 12 + 12   The absolute values are 12 and 12 . Subtract to get 12 .
The negative number is further from 0, so the answer
3. Add: 4.2 + 1-122. is negative: - 34 + 31 = - 12
5
.
YOUR TURN

When numbers like 7 and -7 are added, the result is 0. The numbers a and -a
are called opposites, or additive inverses, of one another. The sum of two additive
inverses is the additive identity, 0.

The Law of Opposites


For any two numbers a and -a,
a + 1 -a2 = 0.
(The sum of opposites is 0.)

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1.2  Op e r at i o n s a n d P r o p e rt i e s o f R e a l N u m b e r s 13

Example 4 Find the opposite: (a) -17.5; (b) 45; (c) 0.


Solution
a) The opposite of -17.5 is 17.5 because -17.5 + 17.5 = 0.
b) The opposite of 45 is - 45 because 45 + 1 - 452 = 0.
4. Find the opposite of -13. c) The opposite of 0 is 0 because 0 + 0 = 0.
YOUR TURN

To name the opposite, we use the symbol “- ” and read the symbolism -a as
“the opposite of a.”

Caution! -a does not necessarily represent a negative number. In


particular, when a is negative, -a is positive.

Example 5 Find -x for the following: (a) x = -2; (b) x = 34.


Solution
a) If x = -2, then -x = -1 -22 = 2.  The opposite of -2 is 2.
5. Find -x for x = -12. b) If x = 34, then -x = - 34. The opposite of 34 is - 34.
YOUR TURN

Using the notation of opposites, we can formally define absolute value.


Technology Connection

Graphing calculators use Absolute Value


different keys for subtracting x, if x Ú 0,
and writing negatives. The ∙x∙ = e
-x, if x 6 0
key labeled : is used for a
negative sign, whereas c (When x is nonnegative, the absolute value of x is x. When x is
is used for subtraction. ­negative, the absolute value of x is the opposite of x. Thus, ∙ x ∙ is
never negative.)
1. Use a graphing calculator
to check Example 6.
2. Calculate: A negative number is said to have a negative “sign” and a positive number
-3.9 - 1-4.872. a positive “sign.” To subtract, we can add an opposite. This can be stated as:
“Change the sign of the number being subtracted and then add.”

Example 6 Subtract: (a) 5 - 9; (b) -1.2 - 1-3.72; (c) - 45 - 32.


Solution
a) 5 - 9 = 5 + 1-92  Change the sign and add.
= -4
b) -1.2 - 1-3.72 = -1.2 + 3.7  Instead of subtracting negative 3.7,
we add positive 3.7.
= 2.5
c) - 45 - 2
3 = - 45 + 1 - 232 Instead of subtracting 23 , we add the opposite, - 23 .
= - 15 + 1 - 152  Finding a common denominator
12 10

6. Subtract: 6 - 1 -132. = - 22
15
YOUR TURN

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14 CHAPTER 1 a l g e b r a a n d pr o b l e m s o l v i n g

D. Multiplication, Division, and Reciprocals


Multiplication of real numbers can be regarded as repeated addition or as
repeated subtraction that begins at 0. For example,
3 # 1-42 = 0 + 1-42 + 1-42 + 1-42 = -12  Adding -4 three times
and
1 -221-52 = 0 - 1-52 - 1-52 = 0 + 5 + 5 = 10.  Subtracting -5 twice
When one factor is positive and one is negative, the product is negative. When
both factors are positive or both are negative, the product is positive.
Division is defined in terms of multiplication. For example, 10 , 1-22 =
-5 because 1-521-22 = 10. Thus the rules for division can be stated along with
those for multiplication.

Multiplication or Division of Two Real Numbers


1. To multiply or divide two numbers with unlike signs, multiply or
divide their absolute values. The answer is negative.
2. To multiply or divide two numbers having the same sign, multiply
or divide their absolute values. The answer is positive.

Example 7 Multiply or divide as indicated.


a) 1-429 b) 1 - 2321 - 382
c) 20 , 1-42 d) -- 45
15

Solution
a) 1-429 = -36 Multiply absolute values. The answer is negative.
b) 1 - 2321 - 382 = 24
6
= 14   Multiply absolute values. The answer is positive.
c) 20 , 1-42 = -5 Divide absolute values. The answer is negative.
- 45
7. Multiply: 1 -1621-0.12. d) - 15 = 3 Divide absolute values. The answer is positive.
YOUR TURN

-8 8 8
Note that since = = - = -4, we have the following generalization.
2 -2 2

Study Skills The Sign of a Fraction


Organize Your Work For any number a and any nonzero number b,
When doing homework, consider -a a a
using a spiral notebook or = = - .
b -b b
collecting your work in a three-ring
binder. Because your course will
probably include graphing, consider
Recall that
purchasing a notebook filled with

= # = a# .
graph paper. Write legibly, labeling a a 1 1
each section and each exercise and b 1 b b
showing all steps. Legible, well-
organized work will make it easier 1 1
That is, rather than divide by b, we can multiply by . The numbers b and are
for those who read your work to b b
give you constructive feedback and called reciprocals, or multiplicative inverses, of each other. Every real num-
will help you to review for a test. ber except 0 has a reciprocal. The product of two multiplicative inverses is the
­multiplicative identity, 1.

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1.2 O p e r at i o n s a n d P r o p e r t i e s o f R e a l N u m b e r s 15

The Law of Reciprocals


1
For any two numbers a and 1a ≠ 02,
a

a#
1
= 1.
a
(The product of reciprocals is 1.)

Example 8 Find the reciprocal: (a) 78; (b) - 34; (c) -8.
Solution
a) The reciprocal of 78 is 87 because 78 # 87 = 1.
b) The reciprocal of - 34 is - 43.
8. Find the reciprocal of - 19. c) The reciprocal of -8 is -18, or - 18.
YOUR TURN

To divide, we can multiply by the reciprocal of the divisor. We sometimes say


that we “invert and multiply.”

Example 9 Divide: (a) - 14 , 35; (b) - 67 , 1 -102.


Solution
3
5 is the divisor.
a) - 14 , 3
5 = - 14 # 53   “Inverting” 35 and changing division to multiplication
5
= - 12

9. Divide: 12 , 1 - 232. b) - 67 , 1 -102 = - 76 # 1 - 10


1
2= 6
70 ,
3
or 35   Multiplying by the reciprocal of -10
YOUR TURN

There is a reason why we never divide by 0. Suppose that 5 were divided by 0.


The answer would have to be a number that, when multiplied by 0, gave 5. But any
number times 0 is 0. Thus we cannot divide 5 or any other nonzero number by 0.
What if we divide 0 by 0? In this case, our solution would need to be some
number that, when multiplied by 0, gave 0. But then any number would work as
a solution to 0 , 0. This could lead to contradictions so we agree to exclude divi-
sion of 0 by 0 also.

Division By Zero
We never divide by 0. If asked to divide a nonzero number by 0, we
say that the answer is undefined. If asked to divide 0 by 0, we say that
the answer is indeterminate. Thus,
7 0
0 is undefined and 0 is indeterminate.

The rules for order of operations apply to all real numbers.

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16 CHAPTER 1 a l g e b r a a n d pr o b l e m s o l v i n g

Example 10 Simplify: (a) 1-52 2; (b) -52.


Solution An exponent is always written immediately after the base. Thus in
the expression 1-52 2, the base is 1-52; in the expression -52, the base is 5.
a) 1-52 2 = 1-521-52 = 25  Squaring -5
b) -52 = -15 # 52 = -25 Squaring 5 and then taking the opposite

10. Simplify: -82. Note that 1-52 2 ∙ -52.


YOUR TURN

Example 11 Simplify: 7 - 52 + 6 , 21-52 2.


Solution
7 - 52 + 6 , 21-52 2 = 7 - 25 + 6 , 2 # 25  
Simplifying 52 and
1-52 2
= 7 - 25 + 3 # 25   Dividing
= 7 - 25 + 75   Multiplying
11. Simplify: = -18 + 75   Subtracting
24 , 1-32 # 1-22 2 - 31 -62. = 57   Adding
YOUR TURN

In addition to parentheses, brackets, and braces, groupings may be indicated


by a fraction bar, an absolute-value symbol, or a radical sign 1 1 2.

12 ∙ 7 - 9 ∙ + 4 # 5
Example 12 Calculate: .
1-32 4 + 23
Solution We simplify the numerator and the denominator and divide the
results:
12 ∙ 7 - 9 ∙ + 4 # 5 12 ∙ -2 ∙ + 20
4 3
=
1-32 + 2 81 + 8
12122 + 20
=
12. Calculate: 89
6 - 4 + 5 - 22 44
. = .  Multiplying and adding
2 - ∙ 35 - 62 ∙ 89
YOUR TURN

E. The Commutative, Associative, and


Distributive Laws
When two real numbers are added or multiplied, the order in which the numbers
are written does not affect the result.

The Commutative Laws


For any real numbers a and b,
a + b = b + a; a # b = b # a.
1for Addition2 1for Multiplication2

The commutative laws provide one way of writing equivalent expressions.

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1.2  Op e r at i o n s a n d P r o p e rt i e s o f R e a l N u m b e r s 17

Equivalent Expressions
Two expressions that have the same value for all possible replacements
are called equivalent expressions.

Example 13 Use a commutative law to write an expression equivalent to


7x + 9.
Solution Using the commutative law of addition, we have
7x + 9 = 9 + 7x.
We can also use the commutative law of multiplication to write
13. Use a commutative law 7 # x + 9 = x # 7 + 9.
The expressions 7x + 9, 9 + 7x, and x # 7 + 9 are all equivalent. They name the
to write an expression
equivalent to 3 + mn.
Answers may vary. same number for any replacement of x.
YOUR TURN

The associative laws enable us to form equivalent expressions by changing


grouping.

The Associative Laws


For any real numbers a, b, and c,
a + 1b + c2 = 1a + b2 + c ; a # 1b # c2 = 1a # b2 # c.
1for Addition2 1for Multiplication2

Example 14 Write an expression equivalent to 13x + 7y2 + 9z, using the


associative law of addition.
Solution We have
14. 
Write an expression 13x + 7y2 + 9z = 3x + 17y + 9z2.
equivalent to 12x2y using
the associative law of The expressions 13x + 7y2 + 9z and 3x + 17y + 9z2 are equivalent. They name
multiplication. the same number for any replacements of x, y, and z.
YOUR TURN

The distributive law allows us to rewrite the product of a and b + c as the sum
of ab and ac.

Student Notes
The Distributive Law
The commutative, associative, and
For any real numbers a, b, and c,
distributive laws are used so often
in this course that it is worth the a1b + c2 = ab + ac.
effort to memorize them.

M01_BITT7378_10_AIE_C01_pp001-070.indd 17 05/12/16 4:46 PM


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DANCE ON STILTS AT THE GIRLS’ UNYAGO, NIUCHI

Newala, too, suffers from the distance of its water-supply—at least


the Newala of to-day does; there was once another Newala in a lovely
valley at the foot of the plateau. I visited it and found scarcely a trace
of houses, only a Christian cemetery, with the graves of several
missionaries and their converts, remaining as a monument of its
former glories. But the surroundings are wonderfully beautiful. A
thick grove of splendid mango-trees closes in the weather-worn
crosses and headstones; behind them, combining the useful and the
agreeable, is a whole plantation of lemon-trees covered with ripe
fruit; not the small African kind, but a much larger and also juicier
imported variety, which drops into the hands of the passing traveller,
without calling for any exertion on his part. Old Newala is now under
the jurisdiction of the native pastor, Daudi, at Chingulungulu, who,
as I am on very friendly terms with him, allows me, as a matter of
course, the use of this lemon-grove during my stay at Newala.
FEET MUTILATED BY THE RAVAGES OF THE “JIGGER”
(Sarcopsylla penetrans)

The water-supply of New Newala is in the bottom of the valley,


some 1,600 feet lower down. The way is not only long and fatiguing,
but the water, when we get it, is thoroughly bad. We are suffering not
only from this, but from the fact that the arrangements at Newala are
nothing short of luxurious. We have a separate kitchen—a hut built
against the boma palisade on the right of the baraza, the interior of
which is not visible from our usual position. Our two cooks were not
long in finding this out, and they consequently do—or rather neglect
to do—what they please. In any case they do not seem to be very
particular about the boiling of our drinking-water—at least I can
attribute to no other cause certain attacks of a dysenteric nature,
from which both Knudsen and I have suffered for some time. If a
man like Omari has to be left unwatched for a moment, he is capable
of anything. Besides this complaint, we are inconvenienced by the
state of our nails, which have become as hard as glass, and crack on
the slightest provocation, and I have the additional infliction of
pimples all over me. As if all this were not enough, we have also, for
the last week been waging war against the jigger, who has found his
Eldorado in the hot sand of the Makonde plateau. Our men are seen
all day long—whenever their chronic colds and the dysentery likewise
raging among them permit—occupied in removing this scourge of
Africa from their feet and trying to prevent the disastrous
consequences of its presence. It is quite common to see natives of
this place with one or two toes missing; many have lost all their toes,
or even the whole front part of the foot, so that a well-formed leg
ends in a shapeless stump. These ravages are caused by the female of
Sarcopsylla penetrans, which bores its way under the skin and there
develops an egg-sac the size of a pea. In all books on the subject, it is
stated that one’s attention is called to the presence of this parasite by
an intolerable itching. This agrees very well with my experience, so
far as the softer parts of the sole, the spaces between and under the
toes, and the side of the foot are concerned, but if the creature
penetrates through the harder parts of the heel or ball of the foot, it
may escape even the most careful search till it has reached maturity.
Then there is no time to be lost, if the horrible ulceration, of which
we see cases by the dozen every day, is to be prevented. It is much
easier, by the way, to discover the insect on the white skin of a
European than on that of a native, on which the dark speck scarcely
shows. The four or five jiggers which, in spite of the fact that I
constantly wore high laced boots, chose my feet to settle in, were
taken out for me by the all-accomplished Knudsen, after which I
thought it advisable to wash out the cavities with corrosive
sublimate. The natives have a different sort of disinfectant—they fill
the hole with scraped roots. In a tiny Makua village on the slope of
the plateau south of Newala, we saw an old woman who had filled all
the spaces under her toe-nails with powdered roots by way of
prophylactic treatment. What will be the result, if any, who can say?
The rest of the many trifling ills which trouble our existence are
really more comic than serious. In the absence of anything else to
smoke, Knudsen and I at last opened a box of cigars procured from
the Indian store-keeper at Lindi, and tried them, with the most
distressing results. Whether they contain opium or some other
narcotic, neither of us can say, but after the tenth puff we were both
“off,” three-quarters stupefied and unspeakably wretched. Slowly we
recovered—and what happened next? Half-an-hour later we were
once more smoking these poisonous concoctions—so insatiable is the
craving for tobacco in the tropics.
Even my present attacks of fever scarcely deserve to be taken
seriously. I have had no less than three here at Newala, all of which
have run their course in an incredibly short time. In the early
afternoon, I am busy with my old natives, asking questions and
making notes. The strong midday coffee has stimulated my spirits to
an extraordinary degree, the brain is active and vigorous, and work
progresses rapidly, while a pleasant warmth pervades the whole
body. Suddenly this gives place to a violent chill, forcing me to put on
my overcoat, though it is only half-past three and the afternoon sun
is at its hottest. Now the brain no longer works with such acuteness
and logical precision; more especially does it fail me in trying to
establish the syntax of the difficult Makua language on which I have
ventured, as if I had not enough to do without it. Under the
circumstances it seems advisable to take my temperature, and I do
so, to save trouble, without leaving my seat, and while going on with
my work. On examination, I find it to be 101·48°. My tutors are
abruptly dismissed and my bed set up in the baraza; a few minutes
later I am in it and treating myself internally with hot water and
lemon-juice.
Three hours later, the thermometer marks nearly 104°, and I make
them carry me back into the tent, bed and all, as I am now perspiring
heavily, and exposure to the cold wind just beginning to blow might
mean a fatal chill. I lie still for a little while, and then find, to my
great relief, that the temperature is not rising, but rather falling. This
is about 7.30 p.m. At 8 p.m. I find, to my unbounded astonishment,
that it has fallen below 98·6°, and I feel perfectly well. I read for an
hour or two, and could very well enjoy a smoke, if I had the
wherewithal—Indian cigars being out of the question.
Having no medical training, I am at a loss to account for this state
of things. It is impossible that these transitory attacks of high fever
should be malarial; it seems more probable that they are due to a
kind of sunstroke. On consulting my note-book, I become more and
more inclined to think this is the case, for these attacks regularly
follow extreme fatigue and long exposure to strong sunshine. They at
least have the advantage of being only short interruptions to my
work, as on the following morning I am always quite fresh and fit.
My treasure of a cook is suffering from an enormous hydrocele which
makes it difficult for him to get up, and Moritz is obliged to keep in
the dark on account of his inflamed eyes. Knudsen’s cook, a raw boy
from somewhere in the bush, knows still less of cooking than Omari;
consequently Nils Knudsen himself has been promoted to the vacant
post. Finding that we had come to the end of our supplies, he began
by sending to Chingulungulu for the four sucking-pigs which we had
bought from Matola and temporarily left in his charge; and when
they came up, neatly packed in a large crate, he callously slaughtered
the biggest of them. The first joint we were thoughtless enough to
entrust for roasting to Knudsen’s mshenzi cook, and it was
consequently uneatable; but we made the rest of the animal into a
jelly which we ate with great relish after weeks of underfeeding,
consuming incredible helpings of it at both midday and evening
meals. The only drawback is a certain want of variety in the tinned
vegetables. Dr. Jäger, to whom the Geographical Commission
entrusted the provisioning of the expeditions—mine as well as his
own—because he had more time on his hands than the rest of us,
seems to have laid in a huge stock of Teltow turnips,[46] an article of
food which is all very well for occasional use, but which quickly palls
when set before one every day; and we seem to have no other tins
left. There is no help for it—we must put up with the turnips; but I
am certain that, once I am home again, I shall not touch them for ten
years to come.
Amid all these minor evils, which, after all, go to make up the
genuine flavour of Africa, there is at least one cheering touch:
Knudsen has, with the dexterity of a skilled mechanic, repaired my 9
× 12 cm. camera, at least so far that I can use it with a little care.
How, in the absence of finger-nails, he was able to accomplish such a
ticklish piece of work, having no tool but a clumsy screw-driver for
taking to pieces and putting together again the complicated
mechanism of the instantaneous shutter, is still a mystery to me; but
he did it successfully. The loss of his finger-nails shows him in a light
contrasting curiously enough with the intelligence evinced by the
above operation; though, after all, it is scarcely surprising after his
ten years’ residence in the bush. One day, at Lindi, he had occasion
to wash a dog, which must have been in need of very thorough
cleansing, for the bottle handed to our friend for the purpose had an
extremely strong smell. Having performed his task in the most
conscientious manner, he perceived with some surprise that the dog
did not appear much the better for it, and was further surprised by
finding his own nails ulcerating away in the course of the next few
days. “How was I to know that carbolic acid has to be diluted?” he
mutters indignantly, from time to time, with a troubled gaze at his
mutilated finger-tips.
Since we came to Newala we have been making excursions in all
directions through the surrounding country, in accordance with old
habit, and also because the akida Sefu did not get together the tribal
elders from whom I wanted information so speedily as he had
promised. There is, however, no harm done, as, even if seen only
from the outside, the country and people are interesting enough.
The Makonde plateau is like a large rectangular table rounded off
at the corners. Measured from the Indian Ocean to Newala, it is
about seventy-five miles long, and between the Rovuma and the
Lukuledi it averages fifty miles in breadth, so that its superficial area
is about two-thirds of that of the kingdom of Saxony. The surface,
however, is not level, but uniformly inclined from its south-western
edge to the ocean. From the upper edge, on which Newala lies, the
eye ranges for many miles east and north-east, without encountering
any obstacle, over the Makonde bush. It is a green sea, from which
here and there thick clouds of smoke rise, to show that it, too, is
inhabited by men who carry on their tillage like so many other
primitive peoples, by cutting down and burning the bush, and
manuring with the ashes. Even in the radiant light of a tropical day
such a fire is a grand sight.
Much less effective is the impression produced just now by the
great western plain as seen from the edge of the plateau. As often as
time permits, I stroll along this edge, sometimes in one direction,
sometimes in another, in the hope of finding the air clear enough to
let me enjoy the view; but I have always been disappointed.
Wherever one looks, clouds of smoke rise from the burning bush,
and the air is full of smoke and vapour. It is a pity, for under more
favourable circumstances the panorama of the whole country up to
the distant Majeje hills must be truly magnificent. It is of little use
taking photographs now, and an outline sketch gives a very poor idea
of the scenery. In one of these excursions I went out of my way to
make a personal attempt on the Makonde bush. The present edge of
the plateau is the result of a far-reaching process of destruction
through erosion and denudation. The Makonde strata are
everywhere cut into by ravines, which, though short, are hundreds of
yards in depth. In consequence of the loose stratification of these
beds, not only are the walls of these ravines nearly vertical, but their
upper end is closed by an equally steep escarpment, so that the
western edge of the Makonde plateau is hemmed in by a series of
deep, basin-like valleys. In order to get from one side of such a ravine
to the other, I cut my way through the bush with a dozen of my men.
It was a very open part, with more grass than scrub, but even so the
short stretch of less than two hundred yards was very hard work; at
the end of it the men’s calicoes were in rags and they themselves
bleeding from hundreds of scratches, while even our strong khaki
suits had not escaped scatheless.

NATIVE PATH THROUGH THE MAKONDE BUSH, NEAR


MAHUTA

I see increasing reason to believe that the view formed some time
back as to the origin of the Makonde bush is the correct one. I have
no doubt that it is not a natural product, but the result of human
occupation. Those parts of the high country where man—as a very
slight amount of practice enables the eye to perceive at once—has not
yet penetrated with axe and hoe, are still occupied by a splendid
timber forest quite able to sustain a comparison with our mixed
forests in Germany. But wherever man has once built his hut or tilled
his field, this horrible bush springs up. Every phase of this process
may be seen in the course of a couple of hours’ walk along the main
road. From the bush to right or left, one hears the sound of the axe—
not from one spot only, but from several directions at once. A few
steps further on, we can see what is taking place. The brush has been
cut down and piled up in heaps to the height of a yard or more,
between which the trunks of the large trees stand up like the last
pillars of a magnificent ruined building. These, too, present a
melancholy spectacle: the destructive Makonde have ringed them—
cut a broad strip of bark all round to ensure their dying off—and also
piled up pyramids of brush round them. Father and son, mother and
son-in-law, are chopping away perseveringly in the background—too
busy, almost, to look round at the white stranger, who usually excites
so much interest. If you pass by the same place a week later, the piles
of brushwood have disappeared and a thick layer of ashes has taken
the place of the green forest. The large trees stretch their
smouldering trunks and branches in dumb accusation to heaven—if
they have not already fallen and been more or less reduced to ashes,
perhaps only showing as a white stripe on the dark ground.
This work of destruction is carried out by the Makonde alike on the
virgin forest and on the bush which has sprung up on sites already
cultivated and deserted. In the second case they are saved the trouble
of burning the large trees, these being entirely absent in the
secondary bush.
After burning this piece of forest ground and loosening it with the
hoe, the native sows his corn and plants his vegetables. All over the
country, he goes in for bed-culture, which requires, and, in fact,
receives, the most careful attention. Weeds are nowhere tolerated in
the south of German East Africa. The crops may fail on the plains,
where droughts are frequent, but never on the plateau with its
abundant rains and heavy dews. Its fortunate inhabitants even have
the satisfaction of seeing the proud Wayao and Wamakua working
for them as labourers, driven by hunger to serve where they were
accustomed to rule.
But the light, sandy soil is soon exhausted, and would yield no
harvest the second year if cultivated twice running. This fact has
been familiar to the native for ages; consequently he provides in
time, and, while his crop is growing, prepares the next plot with axe
and firebrand. Next year he plants this with his various crops and
lets the first piece lie fallow. For a short time it remains waste and
desolate; then nature steps in to repair the destruction wrought by
man; a thousand new growths spring out of the exhausted soil, and
even the old stumps put forth fresh shoots. Next year the new growth
is up to one’s knees, and in a few years more it is that terrible,
impenetrable bush, which maintains its position till the black
occupier of the land has made the round of all the available sites and
come back to his starting point.
The Makonde are, body and soul, so to speak, one with this bush.
According to my Yao informants, indeed, their name means nothing
else but “bush people.” Their own tradition says that they have been
settled up here for a very long time, but to my surprise they laid great
stress on an original immigration. Their old homes were in the
south-east, near Mikindani and the mouth of the Rovuma, whence
their peaceful forefathers were driven by the continual raids of the
Sakalavas from Madagascar and the warlike Shirazis[47] of the coast,
to take refuge on the almost inaccessible plateau. I have studied
African ethnology for twenty years, but the fact that changes of
population in this apparently quiet and peaceable corner of the earth
could have been occasioned by outside enterprises taking place on
the high seas, was completely new to me. It is, no doubt, however,
correct.
The charming tribal legend of the Makonde—besides informing us
of other interesting matters—explains why they have to live in the
thickest of the bush and a long way from the edge of the plateau,
instead of making their permanent homes beside the purling brooks
and springs of the low country.
“The place where the tribe originated is Mahuta, on the southern
side of the plateau towards the Rovuma, where of old time there was
nothing but thick bush. Out of this bush came a man who never
washed himself or shaved his head, and who ate and drank but little.
He went out and made a human figure from the wood of a tree
growing in the open country, which he took home to his abode in the
bush and there set it upright. In the night this image came to life and
was a woman. The man and woman went down together to the
Rovuma to wash themselves. Here the woman gave birth to a still-
born child. They left that place and passed over the high land into the
valley of the Mbemkuru, where the woman had another child, which
was also born dead. Then they returned to the high bush country of
Mahuta, where the third child was born, which lived and grew up. In
course of time, the couple had many more children, and called
themselves Wamatanda. These were the ancestral stock of the
Makonde, also called Wamakonde,[48] i.e., aborigines. Their
forefather, the man from the bush, gave his children the command to
bury their dead upright, in memory of the mother of their race who
was cut out of wood and awoke to life when standing upright. He also
warned them against settling in the valleys and near large streams,
for sickness and death dwelt there. They were to make it a rule to
have their huts at least an hour’s walk from the nearest watering-
place; then their children would thrive and escape illness.”
The explanation of the name Makonde given by my informants is
somewhat different from that contained in the above legend, which I
extract from a little book (small, but packed with information), by
Pater Adams, entitled Lindi und sein Hinterland. Otherwise, my
results agree exactly with the statements of the legend. Washing?
Hapana—there is no such thing. Why should they do so? As it is, the
supply of water scarcely suffices for cooking and drinking; other
people do not wash, so why should the Makonde distinguish himself
by such needless eccentricity? As for shaving the head, the short,
woolly crop scarcely needs it,[49] so the second ancestral precept is
likewise easy enough to follow. Beyond this, however, there is
nothing ridiculous in the ancestor’s advice. I have obtained from
various local artists a fairly large number of figures carved in wood,
ranging from fifteen to twenty-three inches in height, and
representing women belonging to the great group of the Mavia,
Makonde, and Matambwe tribes. The carving is remarkably well
done and renders the female type with great accuracy, especially the
keloid ornamentation, to be described later on. As to the object and
meaning of their works the sculptors either could or (more probably)
would tell me nothing, and I was forced to content myself with the
scanty information vouchsafed by one man, who said that the figures
were merely intended to represent the nembo—the artificial
deformations of pelele, ear-discs, and keloids. The legend recorded
by Pater Adams places these figures in a new light. They must surely
be more than mere dolls; and we may even venture to assume that
they are—though the majority of present-day Makonde are probably
unaware of the fact—representations of the tribal ancestress.
The references in the legend to the descent from Mahuta to the
Rovuma, and to a journey across the highlands into the Mbekuru
valley, undoubtedly indicate the previous history of the tribe, the
travels of the ancestral pair typifying the migrations of their
descendants. The descent to the neighbouring Rovuma valley, with
its extraordinary fertility and great abundance of game, is intelligible
at a glance—but the crossing of the Lukuledi depression, the ascent
to the Rondo Plateau and the descent to the Mbemkuru, also lie
within the bounds of probability, for all these districts have exactly
the same character as the extreme south. Now, however, comes a
point of especial interest for our bacteriological age. The primitive
Makonde did not enjoy their lives in the marshy river-valleys.
Disease raged among them, and many died. It was only after they
had returned to their original home near Mahuta, that the health
conditions of these people improved. We are very apt to think of the
African as a stupid person whose ignorance of nature is only equalled
by his fear of it, and who looks on all mishaps as caused by evil
spirits and malignant natural powers. It is much more correct to
assume in this case that the people very early learnt to distinguish
districts infested with malaria from those where it is absent.
This knowledge is crystallized in the
ancestral warning against settling in the
valleys and near the great waters, the
dwelling-places of disease and death. At the
same time, for security against the hostile
Mavia south of the Rovuma, it was enacted
that every settlement must be not less than a
certain distance from the southern edge of the
plateau. Such in fact is their mode of life at the
present day. It is not such a bad one, and
certainly they are both safer and more
comfortable than the Makua, the recent
intruders from the south, who have made USUAL METHOD OF
good their footing on the western edge of the CLOSING HUT-DOOR
plateau, extending over a fairly wide belt of
country. Neither Makua nor Makonde show in their dwellings
anything of the size and comeliness of the Yao houses in the plain,
especially at Masasi, Chingulungulu and Zuza’s. Jumbe Chauro, a
Makonde hamlet not far from Newala, on the road to Mahuta, is the
most important settlement of the tribe I have yet seen, and has fairly
spacious huts. But how slovenly is their construction compared with
the palatial residences of the elephant-hunters living in the plain.
The roofs are still more untidy than in the general run of huts during
the dry season, the walls show here and there the scanty beginnings
or the lamentable remains of the mud plastering, and the interior is a
veritable dog-kennel; dirt, dust and disorder everywhere. A few huts
only show any attempt at division into rooms, and this consists
merely of very roughly-made bamboo partitions. In one point alone
have I noticed any indication of progress—in the method of fastening
the door. Houses all over the south are secured in a simple but
ingenious manner. The door consists of a set of stout pieces of wood
or bamboo, tied with bark-string to two cross-pieces, and moving in
two grooves round one of the door-posts, so as to open inwards. If
the owner wishes to leave home, he takes two logs as thick as a man’s
upper arm and about a yard long. One of these is placed obliquely
against the middle of the door from the inside, so as to form an angle
of from 60° to 75° with the ground. He then places the second piece
horizontally across the first, pressing it downward with all his might.
It is kept in place by two strong posts planted in the ground a few
inches inside the door. This fastening is absolutely safe, but of course
cannot be applied to both doors at once, otherwise how could the
owner leave or enter his house? I have not yet succeeded in finding
out how the back door is fastened.

MAKONDE LOCK AND KEY AT JUMBE CHAURO


This is the general way of closing a house. The Makonde at Jumbe
Chauro, however, have a much more complicated, solid and original
one. Here, too, the door is as already described, except that there is
only one post on the inside, standing by itself about six inches from
one side of the doorway. Opposite this post is a hole in the wall just
large enough to admit a man’s arm. The door is closed inside by a
large wooden bolt passing through a hole in this post and pressing
with its free end against the door. The other end has three holes into
which fit three pegs running in vertical grooves inside the post. The
door is opened with a wooden key about a foot long, somewhat
curved and sloped off at the butt; the other end has three pegs
corresponding to the holes, in the bolt, so that, when it is thrust
through the hole in the wall and inserted into the rectangular
opening in the post, the pegs can be lifted and the bolt drawn out.[50]

MODE OF INSERTING THE KEY

With no small pride first one householder and then a second


showed me on the spot the action of this greatest invention of the
Makonde Highlands. To both with an admiring exclamation of
“Vizuri sana!” (“Very fine!”). I expressed the wish to take back these
marvels with me to Ulaya, to show the Wazungu what clever fellows
the Makonde are. Scarcely five minutes after my return to camp at
Newala, the two men came up sweating under the weight of two
heavy logs which they laid down at my feet, handing over at the same
time the keys of the fallen fortress. Arguing, logically enough, that if
the key was wanted, the lock would be wanted with it, they had taken
their axes and chopped down the posts—as it never occurred to them
to dig them out of the ground and so bring them intact. Thus I have
two badly damaged specimens, and the owners, instead of praise,
come in for a blowing-up.
The Makua huts in the environs of Newala are especially
miserable; their more than slovenly construction reminds one of the
temporary erections of the Makua at Hatia’s, though the people here
have not been concerned in a war. It must therefore be due to
congenital idleness, or else to the absence of a powerful chief. Even
the baraza at Mlipa’s, a short hour’s walk south-east of Newala,
shares in this general neglect. While public buildings in this country
are usually looked after more or less carefully, this is in evident
danger of being blown over by the first strong easterly gale. The only
attractive object in this whole district is the grave of the late chief
Mlipa. I visited it in the morning, while the sun was still trying with
partial success to break through the rolling mists, and the circular
grove of tall euphorbias, which, with a broken pot, is all that marks
the old king’s resting-place, impressed one with a touch of pathos.
Even my very materially-minded carriers seemed to feel something
of the sort, for instead of their usual ribald songs, they chanted
solemnly, as we marched on through the dense green of the Makonde
bush:—
“We shall arrive with the great master; we stand in a row and have
no fear about getting our food and our money from the Serkali (the
Government). We are not afraid; we are going along with the great
master, the lion; we are going down to the coast and back.”
With regard to the characteristic features of the various tribes here
on the western edge of the plateau, I can arrive at no other
conclusion than the one already come to in the plain, viz., that it is
impossible for anyone but a trained anthropologist to assign any
given individual at once to his proper tribe. In fact, I think that even
an anthropological specialist, after the most careful examination,
might find it a difficult task to decide. The whole congeries of peoples
collected in the region bounded on the west by the great Central
African rift, Tanganyika and Nyasa, and on the east by the Indian
Ocean, are closely related to each other—some of their languages are
only distinguished from one another as dialects of the same speech,
and no doubt all the tribes present the same shape of skull and
structure of skeleton. Thus, surely, there can be no very striking
differences in outward appearance.
Even did such exist, I should have no time
to concern myself with them, for day after day,
I have to see or hear, as the case may be—in
any case to grasp and record—an
extraordinary number of ethnographic
phenomena. I am almost disposed to think it
fortunate that some departments of inquiry, at
least, are barred by external circumstances.
Chief among these is the subject of iron-
working. We are apt to think of Africa as a
country where iron ore is everywhere, so to
speak, to be picked up by the roadside, and
where it would be quite surprising if the
inhabitants had not learnt to smelt the
material ready to their hand. In fact, the
knowledge of this art ranges all over the
continent, from the Kabyles in the north to the
Kafirs in the south. Here between the Rovuma
and the Lukuledi the conditions are not so
favourable. According to the statements of the
Makonde, neither ironstone nor any other
form of iron ore is known to them. They have
not therefore advanced to the art of smelting
the metal, but have hitherto bought all their
THE ANCESTRESS OF
THE MAKONDE
iron implements from neighbouring tribes.
Even in the plain the inhabitants are not much
better off. Only one man now living is said to
understand the art of smelting iron. This old fundi lives close to
Huwe, that isolated, steep-sided block of granite which rises out of
the green solitude between Masasi and Chingulungulu, and whose
jagged and splintered top meets the traveller’s eye everywhere. While
still at Masasi I wished to see this man at work, but was told that,
frightened by the rising, he had retired across the Rovuma, though
he would soon return. All subsequent inquiries as to whether the
fundi had come back met with the genuine African answer, “Bado”
(“Not yet”).
BRAZIER

Some consolation was afforded me by a brassfounder, whom I


came across in the bush near Akundonde’s. This man is the favourite
of women, and therefore no doubt of the gods; he welds the glittering
brass rods purchased at the coast into those massive, heavy rings
which, on the wrists and ankles of the local fair ones, continually give
me fresh food for admiration. Like every decent master-craftsman he
had all his tools with him, consisting of a pair of bellows, three
crucibles and a hammer—nothing more, apparently. He was quite
willing to show his skill, and in a twinkling had fixed his bellows on
the ground. They are simply two goat-skins, taken off whole, the four
legs being closed by knots, while the upper opening, intended to
admit the air, is kept stretched by two pieces of wood. At the lower
end of the skin a smaller opening is left into which a wooden tube is
stuck. The fundi has quickly borrowed a heap of wood-embers from
the nearest hut; he then fixes the free ends of the two tubes into an
earthen pipe, and clamps them to the ground by means of a bent
piece of wood. Now he fills one of his small clay crucibles, the dross
on which shows that they have been long in use, with the yellow
material, places it in the midst of the embers, which, at present are
only faintly glimmering, and begins his work. In quick alternation
the smith’s two hands move up and down with the open ends of the
bellows; as he raises his hand he holds the slit wide open, so as to let
the air enter the skin bag unhindered. In pressing it down he closes
the bag, and the air puffs through the bamboo tube and clay pipe into
the fire, which quickly burns up. The smith, however, does not keep
on with this work, but beckons to another man, who relieves him at
the bellows, while he takes some more tools out of a large skin pouch
carried on his back. I look on in wonder as, with a smooth round
stick about the thickness of a finger, he bores a few vertical holes into
the clean sand of the soil. This should not be difficult, yet the man
seems to be taking great pains over it. Then he fastens down to the
ground, with a couple of wooden clamps, a neat little trough made by
splitting a joint of bamboo in half, so that the ends are closed by the
two knots. At last the yellow metal has attained the right consistency,
and the fundi lifts the crucible from the fire by means of two sticks
split at the end to serve as tongs. A short swift turn to the left—a
tilting of the crucible—and the molten brass, hissing and giving forth
clouds of smoke, flows first into the bamboo mould and then into the
holes in the ground.
The technique of this backwoods craftsman may not be very far
advanced, but it cannot be denied that he knows how to obtain an
adequate result by the simplest means. The ladies of highest rank in
this country—that is to say, those who can afford it, wear two kinds
of these massive brass rings, one cylindrical, the other semicircular
in section. The latter are cast in the most ingenious way in the
bamboo mould, the former in the circular hole in the sand. It is quite
a simple matter for the fundi to fit these bars to the limbs of his fair
customers; with a few light strokes of his hammer he bends the
pliable brass round arm or ankle without further inconvenience to
the wearer.
SHAPING THE POT

SMOOTHING WITH MAIZE-COB

CUTTING THE EDGE


FINISHING THE BOTTOM

LAST SMOOTHING BEFORE


BURNING

FIRING THE BRUSH-PILE


LIGHTING THE FARTHER SIDE OF
THE PILE

TURNING THE RED-HOT VESSEL

NYASA WOMAN MAKING POTS AT MASASI


Pottery is an art which must always and everywhere excite the
interest of the student, just because it is so intimately connected with
the development of human culture, and because its relics are one of
the principal factors in the reconstruction of our own condition in
prehistoric times. I shall always remember with pleasure the two or
three afternoons at Masasi when Salim Matola’s mother, a slightly-
built, graceful, pleasant-looking woman, explained to me with
touching patience, by means of concrete illustrations, the ceramic art
of her people. The only implements for this primitive process were a
lump of clay in her left hand, and in the right a calabash containing
the following valuables: the fragment of a maize-cob stripped of all
its grains, a smooth, oval pebble, about the size of a pigeon’s egg, a
few chips of gourd-shell, a bamboo splinter about the length of one’s
hand, a small shell, and a bunch of some herb resembling spinach.
Nothing more. The woman scraped with the
shell a round, shallow hole in the soft, fine
sand of the soil, and, when an active young
girl had filled the calabash with water for her,
she began to knead the clay. As if by magic it
gradually assumed the shape of a rough but
already well-shaped vessel, which only wanted
a little touching up with the instruments
before mentioned. I looked out with the
MAKUA WOMAN closest attention for any indication of the use
MAKING A POT. of the potter’s wheel, in however rudimentary
SHOWS THE a form, but no—hapana (there is none). The
BEGINNINGS OF THE embryo pot stood firmly in its little
POTTER’S WHEEL
depression, and the woman walked round it in
a stooping posture, whether she was removing
small stones or similar foreign bodies with the maize-cob, smoothing
the inner or outer surface with the splinter of bamboo, or later, after
letting it dry for a day, pricking in the ornamentation with a pointed
bit of gourd-shell, or working out the bottom, or cutting the edge
with a sharp bamboo knife, or giving the last touches to the finished
vessel. This occupation of the women is infinitely toilsome, but it is
without doubt an accurate reproduction of the process in use among
our ancestors of the Neolithic and Bronze ages.
There is no doubt that the invention of pottery, an item in human
progress whose importance cannot be over-estimated, is due to
women. Rough, coarse and unfeeling, the men of the horde range
over the countryside. When the united cunning of the hunters has
succeeded in killing the game; not one of them thinks of carrying
home the spoil. A bright fire, kindled by a vigorous wielding of the
drill, is crackling beside them; the animal has been cleaned and cut
up secundum artem, and, after a slight singeing, will soon disappear
under their sharp teeth; no one all this time giving a single thought
to wife or child.
To what shifts, on the other hand, the primitive wife, and still more
the primitive mother, was put! Not even prehistoric stomachs could
endure an unvarying diet of raw food. Something or other suggested
the beneficial effect of hot water on the majority of approved but
indigestible dishes. Perhaps a neighbour had tried holding the hard
roots or tubers over the fire in a calabash filled with water—or maybe
an ostrich-egg-shell, or a hastily improvised vessel of bark. They
became much softer and more palatable than they had previously
been; but, unfortunately, the vessel could not stand the fire and got
charred on the outside. That can be remedied, thought our
ancestress, and plastered a layer of wet clay round a similar vessel.
This is an improvement; the cooking utensil remains uninjured, but
the heat of the fire has shrunk it, so that it is loose in its shell. The
next step is to detach it, so, with a firm grip and a jerk, shell and
kernel are separated, and pottery is invented. Perhaps, however, the
discovery which led to an intelligent use of the burnt-clay shell, was
made in a slightly different way. Ostrich-eggs and calabashes are not
to be found in every part of the world, but everywhere mankind has
arrived at the art of making baskets out of pliant materials, such as
bark, bast, strips of palm-leaf, supple twigs, etc. Our inventor has no
water-tight vessel provided by nature. “Never mind, let us line the
basket with clay.” This answers the purpose, but alas! the basket gets
burnt over the blazing fire, the woman watches the process of
cooking with increasing uneasiness, fearing a leak, but no leak
appears. The food, done to a turn, is eaten with peculiar relish; and
the cooking-vessel is examined, half in curiosity, half in satisfaction
at the result. The plastic clay is now hard as stone, and at the same
time looks exceedingly well, for the neat plaiting of the burnt basket
is traced all over it in a pretty pattern. Thus, simultaneously with
pottery, its ornamentation was invented.
Primitive woman has another claim to respect. It was the man,
roving abroad, who invented the art of producing fire at will, but the
woman, unable to imitate him in this, has been a Vestal from the
earliest times. Nothing gives so much trouble as the keeping alight of
the smouldering brand, and, above all, when all the men are absent
from the camp. Heavy rain-clouds gather, already the first large
drops are falling, the first gusts of the storm rage over the plain. The
little flame, a greater anxiety to the woman than her own children,
flickers unsteadily in the blast. What is to be done? A sudden thought
occurs to her, and in an instant she has constructed a primitive hut
out of strips of bark, to protect the flame against rain and wind.
This, or something very like it, was the way in which the principle
of the house was discovered; and even the most hardened misogynist
cannot fairly refuse a woman the credit of it. The protection of the
hearth-fire from the weather is the germ from which the human
dwelling was evolved. Men had little, if any share, in this forward
step, and that only at a late stage. Even at the present day, the
plastering of the housewall with clay and the manufacture of pottery
are exclusively the women’s business. These are two very significant
survivals. Our European kitchen-garden, too, is originally a woman’s
invention, and the hoe, the primitive instrument of agriculture, is,
characteristically enough, still used in this department. But the
noblest achievement which we owe to the other sex is unquestionably
the art of cookery. Roasting alone—the oldest process—is one for
which men took the hint (a very obvious one) from nature. It must
have been suggested by the scorched carcase of some animal
overtaken by the destructive forest-fires. But boiling—the process of
improving organic substances by the help of water heated to boiling-
point—is a much later discovery. It is so recent that it has not even
yet penetrated to all parts of the world. The Polynesians understand
how to steam food, that is, to cook it, neatly wrapped in leaves, in a
hole in the earth between hot stones, the air being excluded, and
(sometimes) a few drops of water sprinkled on the stones; but they
do not understand boiling.
To come back from this digression, we find that the slender Nyasa
woman has, after once more carefully examining the finished pot,
put it aside in the shade to dry. On the following day she sends me
word by her son, Salim Matola, who is always on hand, that she is
going to do the burning, and, on coming out of my house, I find her
already hard at work. She has spread on the ground a layer of very
dry sticks, about as thick as one’s thumb, has laid the pot (now of a
yellowish-grey colour) on them, and is piling brushwood round it.
My faithful Pesa mbili, the mnyampara, who has been standing by,
most obligingly, with a lighted stick, now hands it to her. Both of
them, blowing steadily, light the pile on the lee side, and, when the
flame begins to catch, on the weather side also. Soon the whole is in a
blaze, but the dry fuel is quickly consumed and the fire dies down, so
that we see the red-hot vessel rising from the ashes. The woman
turns it continually with a long stick, sometimes one way and
sometimes another, so that it may be evenly heated all over. In
twenty minutes she rolls it out of the ash-heap, takes up the bundle
of spinach, which has been lying for two days in a jar of water, and
sprinkles the red-hot clay with it. The places where the drops fall are
marked by black spots on the uniform reddish-brown surface. With a
sigh of relief, and with visible satisfaction, the woman rises to an
erect position; she is standing just in a line between me and the fire,
from which a cloud of smoke is just rising: I press the ball of my
camera, the shutter clicks—the apotheosis is achieved! Like a
priestess, representative of her inventive sex, the graceful woman
stands: at her feet the hearth-fire she has given us beside her the
invention she has devised for us, in the background the home she has
built for us.
At Newala, also, I have had the manufacture of pottery carried on
in my presence. Technically the process is better than that already
described, for here we find the beginnings of the potter’s wheel,
which does not seem to exist in the plains; at least I have seen
nothing of the sort. The artist, a frightfully stupid Makua woman, did
not make a depression in the ground to receive the pot she was about
to shape, but used instead a large potsherd. Otherwise, she went to
work in much the same way as Salim’s mother, except that she saved
herself the trouble of walking round and round her work by squatting
at her ease and letting the pot and potsherd rotate round her; this is
surely the first step towards a machine. But it does not follow that
the pot was improved by the process. It is true that it was beautifully
rounded and presented a very creditable appearance when finished,
but the numerous large and small vessels which I have seen, and, in
part, collected, in the “less advanced” districts, are no less so. We
moderns imagine that instruments of precision are necessary to
produce excellent results. Go to the prehistoric collections of our
museums and look at the pots, urns and bowls of our ancestors in the
dim ages of the past, and you will at once perceive your error.
MAKING LONGITUDINAL CUT IN
BARK

DRAWING THE BARK OFF THE LOG

REMOVING THE OUTER BARK


BEATING THE BARK

WORKING THE BARK-CLOTH AFTER BEATING, TO MAKE IT


SOFT

MANUFACTURE OF BARK-CLOTH AT NEWALA


To-day, nearly the whole population of German East Africa is
clothed in imported calico. This was not always the case; even now in
some parts of the north dressed skins are still the prevailing wear,
and in the north-western districts—east and north of Lake
Tanganyika—lies a zone where bark-cloth has not yet been
superseded. Probably not many generations have passed since such
bark fabrics and kilts of skins were the only clothing even in the
south. Even to-day, large quantities of this bright-red or drab
material are still to be found; but if we wish to see it, we must look in
the granaries and on the drying stages inside the native huts, where
it serves less ambitious uses as wrappings for those seeds and fruits
which require to be packed with special care. The salt produced at
Masasi, too, is packed for transport to a distance in large sheets of
bark-cloth. Wherever I found it in any degree possible, I studied the
process of making this cloth. The native requisitioned for the
purpose arrived, carrying a log between two and three yards long and
as thick as his thigh, and nothing else except a curiously-shaped
mallet and the usual long, sharp and pointed knife which all men and
boys wear in a belt at their backs without a sheath—horribile dictu!
[51]
Silently he squats down before me, and with two rapid cuts has
drawn a couple of circles round the log some two yards apart, and
slits the bark lengthwise between them with the point of his knife.
With evident care, he then scrapes off the outer rind all round the
log, so that in a quarter of an hour the inner red layer of the bark
shows up brightly-coloured between the two untouched ends. With
some trouble and much caution, he now loosens the bark at one end,
and opens the cylinder. He then stands up, takes hold of the free
edge with both hands, and turning it inside out, slowly but steadily
pulls it off in one piece. Now comes the troublesome work of
scraping all superfluous particles of outer bark from the outside of
the long, narrow piece of material, while the inner side is carefully
scrutinised for defective spots. At last it is ready for beating. Having
signalled to a friend, who immediately places a bowl of water beside
him, the artificer damps his sheet of bark all over, seizes his mallet,
lays one end of the stuff on the smoothest spot of the log, and
hammers away slowly but continuously. “Very simple!” I think to
myself. “Why, I could do that, too!”—but I am forced to change my
opinions a little later on; for the beating is quite an art, if the fabric is
not to be beaten to pieces. To prevent the breaking of the fibres, the
stuff is several times folded across, so as to interpose several
thicknesses between the mallet and the block. At last the required
state is reached, and the fundi seizes the sheet, still folded, by both
ends, and wrings it out, or calls an assistant to take one end while he
holds the other. The cloth produced in this way is not nearly so fine
and uniform in texture as the famous Uganda bark-cloth, but it is
quite soft, and, above all, cheap.
Now, too, I examine the mallet. My craftsman has been using the
simpler but better form of this implement, a conical block of some
hard wood, its base—the striking surface—being scored across and
across with more or less deeply-cut grooves, and the handle stuck
into a hole in the middle. The other and earlier form of mallet is
shaped in the same way, but the head is fastened by an ingenious
network of bark strips into the split bamboo serving as a handle. The
observation so often made, that ancient customs persist longest in
connection with religious ceremonies and in the life of children, here
finds confirmation. As we shall soon see, bark-cloth is still worn
during the unyago,[52] having been prepared with special solemn
ceremonies; and many a mother, if she has no other garment handy,
will still put her little one into a kilt of bark-cloth, which, after all,
looks better, besides being more in keeping with its African
surroundings, than the ridiculous bit of print from Ulaya.
MAKUA WOMEN

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