algebra
n. uncountablen. a type of math where you use letters and symbols to represent numbers. It helps you find unknown values in equations.
n. a branch of mathematics in which letters and other general symbols are used to represent numbers and quantities in formulae and equations.
I need to study algebra for my math test tomorrow.
In high school algebra, students learn how to solve for the variable x by balancing both sides of an equation.
While basic arithmetic deals with concrete numbers, algebra introduces abstract variables that allow for the generalization of mathematical patterns and the modeling of complex physical systems.
Etymology tree Arabic جَبَرَ (jabara) Arabic الْجَبْر (al-jabr)bor. Medieval Latin algebrabor. English algebra Borrowed from Medieval Latin algebra, from the Arabic الْجَبْر (al-jabr, “reunion, resetting of broken parts”) in the title of al-Khwarizmi's influential work الْكِتَاب الْمُخْتَصَر فِي حِسَاب الْجَبْر وَالْمُقَابَلَة (al-kitāb al-muḵtaṣar fī ḥisāb al-jabr wa-l-muqābala, “The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing”).
Uncountable in its general sense as a field of study; can be countable when referring to a specific algebraic system in advanced mathematics.