Mow Night Owl, algebra isn't a dirty word. A really dirty word is trigonometry or...calculus!

I have a theory that nearly any discipline can be understood on some level once the vocabulary is familiar. The concepts in algebra or chemistry or polymers or music are really simple...it's just the vocabulary that inhibits our thinking. And if you're intellectually curious (and patient) the vocabulary becomes familiar with time.

Knowing a little jargon certainly doesn't subsitute for real understanding, but it's up to you to realize your limitations. Now about those spitballs...