Why is algebra important in High School to College?
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A lot of good answers have been given here.
I’ll just add that a big part of algebra is simplification. You start with a mix of known and unknown numbers which are related to each other in different ways. This relationship is described in writing using symbols which, by the time you’re in algebra class, you’re already quite familiar with; it’s just one level more complex. By following certain rules, you learn to make that descriptive “sentence” slightly simpler, and then even simpler, in steps, until you arrive at the values for the unknowns, thus solving what seemed like an unsolvable problem. Each sentence you made was still expressing essentially the same thing; you just followed a process to break it down and express it in a new way each time, leading to a solution.
Teachers have already done this for you many times in school, breaking down complex topics into simpler chunks and repeating the same information in different ways. Algebra gives you a very structured way to practice building that problem-solving skill, yourself. It also is a very necessary foundation for all the higher levels of math.
Also, there are similarities between algebra, human language, and computer programming languages. You may find you improve your language and computer skills if you work on math skills at the same time, and vice-versa.
After algebra, you might ask what’s geometry for… and one answer is that in that class, as you visualize how numbers are related and learn about “proofs”, you also learn formal logic, which is the next level of problem-solving skills you’ll be really glad to have a solid foundation with, instead of whatever analysis skills you’ve cobbled together on your own so far. Algebra gets you started with that, but geometry really solidifies it.
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