Word problems, which require translating words into a formula, I found hard in Algebra 2 in 7th grade, in part because the teacher was useless, and the textbook almost equally so, as to giving some help as to how to so translate words into formulas, with x's and y's, and the word clues to look for to assist, and what the basic 15 or so patterns were. Learn all of that, and you have broken the code, and can just do it all on autopilot, stoned out of your mind. The rest was like sailing with a steady tail wind - a piece of cake - just cranking out, knowing a few rules, the formulas presented. It got boring after awhile. That was true more or less for me all the way through calculus. Algebra 2 was the ultimate bitch for me. I was just so frustrated!
By the way, I have used simultaneous algebraic equations with x's and y's quite valuable in my legal practice, because when you try to evaluate what a property is worth, based on net income after expenses, you have property taxes going up as an expense as values go up, so you have two variables acting together at once. You can either use trial and error on a spreadsheet, somewhat more laborious, or use a simultaneous equation. I think that is why Newton invented calculus. Getting delta function rate of change calculations done, is just too laborious with algebra. He realized it sucked, and had an insight as to how to finesse that all.
And that, my friends, is the grand unified theory of math, from a lawyer, not a math major, who has no hesitation to opine about anything. I have a license to do so!
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