Lesson 1

Explore

 

Do you have a favourite board game? Perhaps you like classic games, such as Monopoly, The Game of Life, or Snakes and Ladders! Two important principles of game design are realism and simplicity. Part of what makes these games enjoyable is the fact that they simulate real-world contexts. In the examples provided here, one is a real-estate trading game, another takes you through the milestones of life, and the third simulates life with ladders rewarding good acts and snakes penalizing bad acts.

 

What really makes these games fun and engaging is that they portray realistic situations and have rules that young children can understand. For example, gameplay in Monopoly is not bogged down by housing inspections or lawyer fees that would normally come with every real-life property purchase. These aspects, though realistic, would complicate the game and reduce the game’s entertainment value.

 

In this lesson you will study rational expressions. Just like a game designer creates games based on reality, you will learn how to write algebraic expressions that are equivalent to other expressions. As well, just as games are simplified versions of the real thing, you will learn to simplify rational expressions.

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