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Diagramming Practice – Algebra

Diagram the following conditional statement and find its contrapositive: “Completing algebra 1 is a prerequisite for taking calculus.”

Answer

This is a tricky sentence to diagram.  Rather than relying on the usual keywords, this sentence requires us to really think about what the statement is saying.  It tells us that algebra I is a prerequisite for something else.  Saying something is a prerequisite is another way of saying that it is required, which is another way of saying it is necessary.  That means that “algebra 1” is necessary, so we put it on the necessary side of the diagram (the right side).  That means, the other term, “calculus,” must be sufficient.

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