Math is mean...

Today I decided to start doing a GED practice test online. Which you can do each subject separately, you basically pick and choose what you want to start with first and go from there. So, knowing that I am worst in math and need help in that area I decide to start there first and see how bad I really am at in math.

I do the first one, OK, fine, no big deal. Second question, eh, bit harder... third question, HUH?!, fourth question....lets just say I didn't actually answer that one cause I really didn't understand it. They do have a button so you can click it and check your answer and make sure you did it right or if you need help. So, I clicked it on the fourth question, they showed me the answer but they didn't show me HOW they got the answer, unless I was completely missing it all along.

Of course this reminds me of when I was in school and I would ask help with multiplication and what not and the teacher(s) would always say, "Sorry, we can't help you because you'll never learn if we do." I always got frustrated because in my mine I wanted help, not the answer, in their mind I was being lazy and that I was just seeking for an answer when I wasn't.

Why is it that everyone always thinks you're asking for the answer when you're really asking for help, basically what are the steps to get to the answer? I multiply this with this or what?!

Here is a perfect example, I had one of those math problems the other day where its something like 5x9-(9+2), of course I did what was in parentheses first and then did the rest and ended up with the wrong answer, probably 10, when the answer was really 34. I know, I know. I ask it too. HUH?!

Well, if you notice what I did before was added the 9 and 2 in parentheses which is 11, then I subtracted 9 which is 2 then multiplied 2 by 5 and got 10. What you are really supposed to do with these problems is do the parentheses first, which is the only thing I got right, then multiply then divide then add then subtract. So if you do it right the answer looks like this.

5 x 9 - (9 + 2)

5 x 9 - (11)

45 - (11)

34.

There you go. However, my book told me how to do this but the stuff online wasn't telling me the process, just the answers. SIGH.

I hate being frustrated, especially over MATH of all things.