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Algebraic manipulation
Simplifying
2xy means 2 x y
x3 means x x x
2xy 3x2y 6x3y2
Only like terms can be added or subtracted. 2a 2a2 a a 2a2
3a2b ab2 a2b 4a2b ab2
Multiply every term inside a bracket by the term outside. 2(3x 4y) 6x 8y
A negative sign outside the bracket means multiply by 1. 2 (3x 4y) 2 3x 4y
Indices
am an amn am an amn (am)n amn a0 1 (a 0)
Simplifying fractions
2
2x 3y
___ 2y 2x x ___ 2x y
3 ____
5 ___
___ 4 __
5 3 __
5 2
3 9y x 3 y y y x
3x 2y 9x 1 8y 3x 2y 9x 2 8y
___ ___
________
___ 2 ___
5 ________
4 3 12 4 3 12
Expanding brackets x 2
Use FOIL First Outside Inside Last x x2
2x
(x 2)(x 1) x2 x 2x 2 2
x 3x 2 1 x 2
(2x 1)(x 5) 2x2 10x x 5 2
2x 9x 5
Factorising
x2 3x x(x 3) 3a2b 9ab2 3ab(a 3b)
x2 x 2 (x 2)(x 1) 2x2 9x 5 (2x 1)(x 5)
An important factorisation is the difference of two squares.
x2 9 (x 3)(x 3) x2 a2 (x a)(x a)
Further fractions
To simplify, factorise as much as possible, then cancel.
2 x(x 1 3)
x 1 3x ________
_______
x 3
x x
x 2
2 4x x(x 2 4) x
___________ _____________
_____
x2 2 x 2 12 (x 2 4)(x 1 3) x 1 3
Add or subtract in the same way as for number fractions.
x 2 1 _____ 4(x 2 1) 2 3(x 1 3) _______________
x 1 3 __________________ 4x 2 4 2 3x 2 9 ______
x 2 13
_____
3 4 12 12 12
3
_____ 2 3(1 2 x) 1 2(1 1 x) _______________
3 3x 2 2x _______
5x
_____
__________________
11x 12x (1 1 x)(1 2 x) (1 x)(1 x) 1 x2
2 2
(x 4)(x 1) (x 1)(x 3) __________________________
x 3 ___________________________
x 1 _____
_____ (x 5x 4) (x 4x 3) _____________
1 9x
x1 x4 (x 1)(x 4) (x 1)(x 4) (x 1)(x 4)
Algebra 1
Formulae If the equation contains fractions, multiply
everything by the LCM to clear the fractions.
Using formulae 5x
Formulae describes how items are related to each Solve _____
1 x.
3
other. Substitution and the use of the BIDMAS 5x
_____
1 x (Multiply both sides by 3)
mnemonic will enable you to calculate their values. 3
A formulae used in mechanics is s ut _ 2 at2.
1 5 x 3(1 x) (Expand bracket)
5 x 3 3x (Collect like terms)
Find s when u 4, a 10 and t 3.
3x x 3 5 (Simplify)
Substituting gives s 4 3 _ 2 10 32
1
2x 2 (Divide both sides by 2)
12 45 57. x 1
Changing the subject x 1 _____
Solve _____
x 2 __
5
.
6 3 2
Use an identical process to solving equations:
perform the same operation to both sides of the The LCM of 6, 3 and 2 is 6. Multiply everything
formula. by 6.
x1 2 x2 3 5
4
Make r the subject of V __
r3. 6 _____ 6 _____
6 __
3 6 3 2
4 x 1 2(x 2) 3 5
V __ r3
3 (Expand bracket)
3V
___ x 1 2x 4 15
r3
4
___ (Collect like terms)
3
√
3V
r ___
4R
3x 18
(Divide both sides by 3)
1 at
Make t the subject of m ______
x6
1 at
1 at
m ______
Problems leading to linear equations
1 at
m(1 at) 1 at
• Where relevant, draw a clear diagram and
m mat 1 at put all the information on it.
m 1 at mat • Let x stand for what you are trying to find.
m 1 t(a ma) • Form an equation involving x.
m1 • Solve the equation.
t _______
• Check that the answer makes sense.
a ma
The length of a rectangle is 1 cm more than the
width. The perimeter is 14 cm. Find the width.
Linear equations Let the width be x cm, then the length is x 1 cm.
The diagram shows the x�1
Solving linear equations
length of the sides.
The way to solve linear equations is to isolate
x x
the unknown letter by systematically doing the
same operation to both sides of the equation.
Solve 3(x 1) 2(x 3) 10. x�1
2 Algebra
Identities The graph of y plotted against x looks like this.
y
An Identity is an expression which is true for all
values of a variable, say x.
• Show that (x 1 3)(x 2 1) 5 x2 1 2x 2 3
Expanding the left-hand side (LHS)
5 x2 2 x 1 3x 2 3
x
5 x2 1 2x 2 3
5 RHS As x increases, y decreases.
• If (x 1 3)(2x 2 1) 5 Ax2 1 Bx 1 C, where A, k
If y 3 when x 4, then 3 __ ⇒ k 12
B and C are constants, find their value. 4
12
Comparing LHS to RHS. So the equation is y ___ .
x
LHS 5 2x2 1 5x 2 3 5 Ax2 1 Bx 1 C 1
• y is inversely proportional to x2, y __ 2
Comparing terms in x2, x and x0 x
k
[x2]: 2 5 A means y __2 .
x
[x]: 55B 1
[x0]: 23 5 C • y is inversely proportional to x3, y __ 3
x
k
means y __3 .
x
__
1
• y is inversely proportional to √ x , y ___
__
x
√
k__
Proportion means y ___ .
x
√
Direct proportion
All these statements mean the same thing.
• y is directly proportional to x.
Simultaneous linear equations
• y varies directly with x.
• y varies as x. Solving simultaneous equations finds the point
y is directly proportional to x means y kx, of intersection of the graphs of the equations.
for some fixed value of k. There are two main ways to solve simultaneous
The graph of y against x is a straight line linear equations: substitution and elimination.
through the origin. Substitution
y
Use substitution when either x or y is the subject
of at least one equation.
Solve the simultaneous equations y 2x 1
and y x 2.
y
x
8
If y 12 when x 3, then 12 k 3 ⇒ k 4 7
So the equation is y 4x.
6
• y is directly proportional to x2, y x2 means 5
y�x�2
y kx2. 4 Solution
• y is directly proportional to x3, y x3 means
3
y kx3. __ __ 2
• y is directly proportional to √
x , y √
x means y � 2x � 1
1
y kRx.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 x
Inverse proportion
k y 2x 1 and y x 2 means 2x 1 x 2
y is directly proportional to x means y __
for 2x x 2 1
x
some fixed value of k. x3
Algebra 3
Substituting x 3 into the first equation gives Check: x 5, y 3 satisfies the first equation,
y 5. as 2 5 3 7.
Check: x 3, y 5 satisfies the second So the solution is x 5, y 3.
equation, as 5 3 2. Solve the simultaneous equations x 2y 1
So the solution is x 3, y 5. and 2x 3y 9.
Solve the simultaneous equations y x 1 x 2y 1
and 3x 2y 12. 2x 3y 9
y Multiply by 2 2x 4y 2
8 Add and 7y 7
7 y 1
6 Substituting y 1 into gives x 2 1 ⇒ x 3
5 Check in : 2 3 3 1 9
Solution y
4 y�x�1
2x � 3y � 9
3 3
2 3x � 2y � 12 Solution
2
1 1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 x
�1 0 1 2 3 4 5 x
Substitute y x 1 into the second equation �1
x � 2y � 1
to give �2
3x 2(x 1) 12 �3
3x 2x 2 12 �4
5x 10 So the solution is x 3, y 1
x2
Substituting x 2 into the first equation gives
y 3. Quadratic equations
Check: x 2, y 3 satisfies the second equation,
as 3 2 2 3 12. There are two main ways to solve quadratic
equations: factorising and using the quadratic
So the solution is x 2, y 3.
formula.
Elimination If the question asks for rounded solutions, for
Solve the simultaneous equations 2x y 7 example to 3 s.f. or 3 d.p., then use the formula.
and x y 8. If you haven’t managed to factorise the
2x y 7 equation after about one minute, use the
x y 8 (Add the equations together.) formula.
3x 15 Always rearrange the equation so that it equals
x5 zero before you start.
Substituting x 5 into the second equation
Factorising
gives 5 y 8 ⇒ y 3
y The different types are illustrated below:
2 • No x term
1
2x � y � 7 x2 16 0 ⇒ x2 16 ⇒ x 4
0
• No number term
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 x x 5x 0 ⇒ x(x 5) 0 ⇒ x 0 or 5
�1
• Simple factorising
�2
x2 2x 8 0 ⇒ (x 2)(x 4) 0
�3
x�y�8 Solution ⇒ x 2 or 4
�4 • Number factor
�5 4x2 8x 32 0 ⇒ 4(x2 2x 8) 0
�6 ⇒ 4(x 2)(x 4) 0 ⇒ x 2 or 4
4 Algebra
• Harder factorising Substitute into
3x2 5x 2 0 ⇒ (3x 1)(x 2) 0 x2 x2 2x 1 13
⇒ x _1 or 2 2x2 2x 12 0 (Divide by 2)
3
Using the quadratic formula x2 x 6 0 (Factorise)
________
(x 3)(x 2) 0
2b √
b2 2 4ac
If ax bx c 0 then x ______________
2
x 3 or 2
2a
It is easy to make a mistake with the signs. Use to work out the y values, giving solutions
Write down the values of a, b and c. as (3, 2) or (2, 3).
Remember that if b 3 then b 3 and b2
must be positive (it is easy to get this wrong with
a calculator). If either a or c is negative, then Inequalities
4ac will be positive.
Linear inequalities
Problems leading to quadratic equations
These are solved in a similar way to equations,
• Where relevant, draw a clear diagram and except that when both sides are multiplied or
put all the information on it. divided by a negative number the inequality is
• Let x stand for what you are trying to find. reversed. The following examples show the same
• Form a quadratic equation in x and simplify it. inequality solved in two different ways.
• Solve the equation by either factorising or Solve the inequality 3(x 1) 5(x 3),
using the formula. showing the result on a number line.
• Check that the answers make sense.
Method 1
3(x 1) 5(x 3) (Expand brackets)
Solving simultaneous equations, 3x 3 5x 15 (Add 15 to both sides)
one linear and one nonlinear 3x 12 5x (Subtract 3x from both sides)
Graphically this corresponds to the intersection 12 2x (Divide both sides by 2)
of a line and a curve. 6x
Always substitute the linear equation into the Method 2
nonlinear. 3(x 1) 5(x 3) (Expand brackets)
y
3x 3 5x 15 (Add 3 to both sides)
5
3x 5x 12 (Subtract 5x from both sides)
x 2 � y 2 � 13 4 2x 12 (Divide both sides by 2,
3 Solution
remembering to reverse the
2 sign)
1 x6
�5 �4 �3 �2 �1 0 1 2 3 4 5 x 6 7 8 9 10
�1
Solution
�2 A solid circle means or . An open circle
�3
means , or ..
�4
x�y�1�0
�5
Algebra 5