The first time I tried this problem I found it challenging because…
When I first tried this problem I found it challenging because I was stuck on what I had to do with the equation. Looking at this question at first glance I didn’t know what to do and what steps I need to do to solve this question. The radicals on both sides of the question intimidated me, because I wasn’t sure what to do with them at first. Also how the right side of the equation had the +1 before the radical so it overwhelmed me a little bit which gave me a challenge at the start.
Describe the mistake/problem that happened the first time you tried it..
The problem I ran into for the first time was doing the steps in wrong order, I moved the right side over to the left to make the equation equal zero then I squared it to get rid of the radical, also not recognizing the difference in terms inside the radicals. So not fully understanding the rules made me reach a lot of errors when trying this question.
Tell me what strategies you used to figure it out. Did you consult your notes, ask a teacher/friend/tutor? Watch a video? Use an internet search or app? Look at the answer key and work backwards?
The strategies I used to figure it out was to look at the workbook and look back at previous questions that are similar and follow the steps, I also looked on the class notes on OneNote to see what steps I need to do, but to double check my work I used photo math to see if I did the steps in the right order and it helped me a lot because it showed step by step solutions of how to solve the question.
Tell me which concepts and/or skills you needed to remember to be able to solve this problem.
To be able to solve this type of question, I need to remember the property of square roots, and knowing how to simplify the expression, also knowing how to combine like terms at the right time because If I do it wrong then the rest of the question will be incorrect. Another important concept is knowing to foil properly because for these types of question I have to foil so I have to make sure that the numbers are correct, lastly is checking my solutions, at the end I have to check the answer by plugging it back into the original equation to make sure it works and that its not a extraneous solution.
Next time I encounter a difficult problem, I might try…
The next time I encounter a difficult problem, I might try to look back at past workbook questions to see if their similar and try working through that, or look back at notes and in the textbook questions to look if they have a similar question that I could use to help solve the one that Im stuck on. If I’m still stuck then Id refer to a photo math app or YouTube which will always have answer and could have a step by step way which could be easier for me to understand and follow to help me solve the question.