I didn't say your algebra skills suck - I say there are gaps. You don't put brackets where you should, and you don't seem to be able to manipulate equations qu

I didn't say your algebra skills suck - I say there are gaps. You don't put brackets where you should, and you don't seem to be able to manipulate equations quickly and easily. But you have some skills, and if you're only just starting out then you're probably doing well. I can't tell from this distance via this medium. As a final hint, here's something interesting: For a polynomial p(x), if p(a)=0 for some value a, then (x-a) is a factor of p(x). That means, for example, that (x+1) is a factor of x^3+1 and (x-1) is a factor of x^3-1. I have to go. Good luck!