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simplifying with substitutions


mike mcgarry
lesson by mike mcgarry
magoosh expert

summary
the content provides advanced strategies for simplifying complex algebra problems on the gre by using substitutions to reduce equations to more manageable forms.
  • introduces a sophisticated trick involving right-brain pattern matching for simplifying hard algebra problems, emphasizing its application to the most advanced problems.
  • demonstrates the process of substitution with practice problems, showing how replacing repeated expressions with a single variable can simplify the equation solving process.
  • explains how to solve for the substituted variable and then use those solutions to solve for the original variables, providing a clear method for tackling quadratic-like equations and compound fractions.
  • highlights the efficiency of this method through examples, including solving for variables in quadratic equations and simplifying complex fractions by breaking them into stages.
chapters
00:05
introduction to substitution
01:01
simplifying quadratic-like equations
03:35
applying substitution to complex fractions