Working With Algebra: 5.1 Substituting Numbers Into Formulae and Expressions

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73

CHAPTER 5

Working with algebra


In this chapter you will revise and extend earlier work on how to:
• substitute numbers into formulae and expressions
• work with indices
• expand brackets and collect like terms.
You will learn how to:
• factorise algebraic expressions
• generate formulae
• change the subject of a formula.
You will also be challenged to:
• investigate the language of algebra.

Starter: Right or wrong?


Each question is followed by two possible answers. Identify the right one – and
explain what slip might have caused the wrong one in each case.

1 30 3 or 0

2 651 0 or 2

3 52 10 or 25

4 234 20 or 14

5 4  10  2 9 or 7

6 ( 3)2 9 or 9

5.1 Substituting numbers into formulae and expressions


In this chapter you will be using letters in expressions to stand for mathematical
quantities. Sometimes you are told the numerical value of each letter. It is then
possible to work out the value of the corresponding expression.

For example, x  3 is an algebraic expression. If x has the value 5 then, clearly,


x  3 has the value 8.
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74 Chapter 5: Working with algebra

Care must be taken when substituting given numbers into more intricate
expressions. In particular, be careful with minus signs and squares, cubes, etc.
Remember the order of priorities described by BIDMAS – you should work out
Brackets first, then Indices (squares, cubes, etc.). Next come Division and
Multiplication, together, and finally Addition and Subtraction, also together.

EXAMPLE
If p  5, q  2 and r  4, work out the values of
a) 3p  4q b) 2p2 c) pq  5r

SOLUTION
a) 3p  4q  3  (5)  4  (2) Multiply before adding: BIDMAS
 15  8
 23
b) 2p2  2  (5)2 Indices before multiplying: BIDMAS
 2  25
 50
c) pq  5r  (5)  (2)  5  (4) Multiply before subtracting: BIDMAS
 10   20
 10  20
 30

EXAMPLE
If x  4, y  1 and z  3, work out the values of
2x  3y
a) 3(x  2z)2 b) 
zy

SOLUTION
a) 3(x  2z)2  3  (4  2  3)2 Brackets first, then indices, then multiplying: BIDMAS
 3  (4  6)2
 3  (10)2
 3  100
 300
2x  3y 2  4  3  (1) In an algebraic fraction, you should evaluate
b)    the top and bottom separately first.
zy 3  (1)
Then do the division.
8  3
 
3  1
5
 
2
1
 22
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5.1 Substituting numbers into formulae and expressions 75

Sometimes you need to substitute values into a formula rather than an


expression. The only difference is that a formula contains an equals sign, so the
final numerical answer can tell you the value of another algebraic letter, as in
the next example.

EXAMPLE
1
The distance s, travelled by a particle is given by the formula s  ut  2 at2.
a) Use your calculator to work out the value of s when a  9.8, t  3.5 and
u  2.4. Write down all the figures from your calculator display.
b) Round your answer to part a) correct to 2 significant figures.

SOLUTION
1
a) s  ut  2 at2
 2.4  3.5  (1  2)  9.8  3.5 x2
 68.425
b) Correct to 2 significant figures, s  68

EXERCISE 5.1
If p  6, q  5 and r  2, find the value of:

1 3p  2q 2 5pq  10q 3 r2  3p 4 (2p  3r)2

If x  4, y  6 and z  2, find the value of:

5 x 2  z2 6 3x  z 7 2z  3y 8 (y  2z)2

If f  3, g  1 and h  2, find the value of:

9 4f 2 10 5(f  g) 11 f 2  gh 12 3g2

13 The number of bacteria N in a colony is modelled by the formula N  2500(1  kt) where t is the time
and k is a growth factor.
a) Find the value of N when k  0.3 and t  1.5.
b) Write down the number of bacteria at time t  0 .

14 The velocity v of a particle is given by the formula v2  u2  2as.


a) Find the value of v2 when u  5, a  3 and s  2.
b) Find the corresponding value of v, correct to 3 s.f.

15 The voltage V in an electronic circuit is given by the formula V  IR.


a) Find the exact value of V when I  13 and R  20.
b) Find the value of R when V  240 and I  13, giving your answer to 3. s.f.
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76 Chapter 5: Working with algebra

5.2 Working with indices


Indices are used in algebra as a short notation when a quantity is multiplied by
itself repeatedly. In the previous section you used x 2 (said as ‘x squared’) to
mean x  x. In a similar way, x3 (said as ‘x cubed’) is a short way of writing
x  x  x. The number 2 or 3 is a power, or index. Sometimes you will meet
higher indices too.

EXAMPLE
Simplify:
a) f  f  f b) t  t  t  t c) 2  m  m

SOLUTION
a) f  f  f  f 3 b) t  t  t  t  t 4 c) 2  m  m  2m2

You have probably already met the idea of simplifying algebraic expressions
using indices, which are powers such as squares or cubes. For example, you
may have been asked to simplify x2  x3, or, perhaps, (y4)3.

The rules for simplifying such expressions are quite straightforward, but they
can appear confusing at first, so you should practise in order to be able to apply
them confidently and correctly.

Here are the rules for multiplication and division.

Multiplication Division
xa  xb  xa  b xa  xb  xa  b

EXAMPLE
Simplify these expressions:
a) x2  x3 b) x7  x3

SOLUTION
a) x 2  x3  x2  3
 x5
b) x7  x3  x7  3
 x4

Sometimes the algebraic terms will have whole number multiples in front of
them – these are known as coefficients. If these are present, you simply
multiply or divide the coefficients in the usual way, and then multiply or divide
the algebraic terms as well.
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5.2 Working with indices 77

EXAMPLE
Simplify these expressions:
a) 5x 2  4x 3 b) 12x 7  4x 3

SOLUTION
Multiply the two number coefficients…
a) 5x 2  4x 3  5  4  x 2  3
…and multiply the two algebraic terms.
 20  x 5
 20x5

b) 12x 7  4x 3  (12  4)  x7  3 Divide the two number coefficients…


 3  x4
…and divide the two algebraic terms.
 3x 4

Take care with an expression such as (x 3)2 – it does not simplify to x 5. This is
because (x 3)2 means x 3 times x 3 which gives x 3  3 , in other words, x 6.
This gives us another rule for indices:
(x a)n  x a  n

EXAMPLE
Simplify these expressions:
a) (x 2)5 b) (2 x 3)4

SOLUTION
a) (x 2)5  x 2  5
 x 10
Remember to raise 2 to the power 4…
b) (2x 3)4  24  (x 3)4 …as well as working out x 3 to the power 4.
 16  x 12
 16x 12

EXERCISE 5.2
Write these expressions using indices.

1 kkk 2 uu 3 xxxxx

4 nnnn 5 2gg 6 5ttt

Simplify these expressions using the index laws x a  x b  x a  b and x a  x b  x a  b.

7 x3  x5 8 y 10  y 3 9 z4  z3  z2

10 2x 3  5x 4 11 4x  6x 5 12 12y 6  6y 3

13 4y 2  2y 4 14 18z 6  3z 15 2x 2  3x 3  x 4

16 10z 6  20z 4
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78 Chapter 5: Working with algebra

Simplify these expressions using the index law (xa)n  xa  n.

17 (x 4)2 18 (y 2)3 19 (3z 3)2

20 (4x 5)2 21 (y 10)3 22 (2z 2)4

23 (2x 4)2 24 (5x 2)3 25 (4xy)3

26 (6x 2y)2

Simplify these expressions.

27 3x 2  5x 3 28 4y 2  2y 29 (3z 2)3

30 12y 10  12y 9 31 4x 3  10x 2 32 48x 4  16x

33 10x 7  10x 3 34 (x 3y)2 35 (x 3y 2)3

36 4x 4  3x

5.3 Expanding brackets


In this section you will learn how to expand and simplify brackets. The
instruction ‘simplify’ tells you to collect together like terms where possible.
The next example reminds you how to collect like terms.

EXAMPLE
Simplify
a) 8x  3y  5x  2y b) 3x  2y  9x  6y c) 5c  3e  8c  4e

SOLUTION
a) 8x  3y  5x  2y  8x  5x
 3y  2y
 13x  5y

b) 3x  2y  9x  6y  3x  9x
 2y  6y
 12x  4y

c) 5c  3e  8c  4e  5c  8c
 3e  4e
 3c  e
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5.3 Expanding brackets 79

Some algebraic expressions are written with brackets. It may be possible to


‘expand’ the brackets, which means that you multiply them out and rewrite the
result without using brackets.

EXAMPLE
Expand 3(2x  5).
‘Expand’ means ‘clear away the brackets’.
SOLUTION
The bracket contains two terms, namely 2x
3(2x  5)  3  (2x)  3  5
and 5. Each term gets multiplied by the 3.
 6x  15

Examination questions often require you to do this twice, and then collect like
terms to write the result in a neater form. In such a case you will be told to
‘expand and simplify’, as in the next example.

EXAMPLE
Expand and simplify 4(3x  7)  5(x  2).
First you multiply out the brackets…
SOLUTION
4(3x  7)  5(x  2)  12x  28  5x  10 …then collect up 12x  5x to make 17x…
 17x  38 and  28 and  10 to make 38.

Sometimes there are minus signs inside one or more of the brackets.

EXAMPLE
Expand and simplify 4(3x  7)  5(2  x).
Again, multiply out the brackets …
SOLUTION
4(3x  7)  5(2  x)  12x  28  10  5x … then collect up 12x  5x to make 7x …
 7x  18 and  28 and  10 to make 18.

Watch carefully when there is a minus sign in front of one of the brackets, because the
multiplication is much more tricky.

EXAMPLE
Expand and simplify 5(4x  3)  2(x  3).
Multiply the terms in the second bracket by 2.
SOLUTION
5(4x  3)  2(x  3)  20x  15  2x  6 Then collect up 20x  2x to make 18x …
 18x  9 and  15 and  6 to make  9.
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80 Chapter 5: Working with algebra

Notice that the minus outside the bracket ends up changing all the signs inside
the bracket. Finally, watch for a double minus multiplying to give a positive
term, as in this example.

EXAMPLE
Expand and simplify 2(4x  1)  3(x  2).

SOLUTION
2(4x  1)  3(x  2)  8x  2  3x  6 The 3 multiplies with 2 to give 6.
 5x  4

EXERCISE 5.3
In questions 1 to 10 you are to multiply out the brackets and simplify the results. These are straightforward
questions, without any awkward sign problems.

1 2(x  5)  5(x  2) 2 3(2x  1)  2(x  5) 3 4(2x  5)  3(x  3)

4 2(x  5)  3(2x  5) 5 10(x  1)  6(2x  1) 6 3(x  5)  4(x  1)

7 2(x  1)  7(2x  3) 8 3(x  2)  2(2x  1) 9 5(x  1)  4(3x  1)

10 6(3x  2)  5(4x  3)

In questions 11 to 20, expand and simplify the result. Take special care when there is a negative number in
front of the second bracket.

11 6(2x  1)  3(3x  1) 12 4(x  3)  2(x  1) 13 6(2x  1)  3(3x  1)

14 8(2x  5)  5(3x  2) 15 16(10x  5)  5(3x  2) 16 12(x  2)  3(2x  4)

17 5(2x  5)  4(x  2) 18 6(x  1)  2(x  3) 19 7(x  1)  2(2x  1)

20 4x  3(2x  1)  5x

5.4 Multiplying two brackets together


It is possible to expand the product of a pair of brackets multiplied together.
There are several possible methods, all leading to the same end result. These
include ‘smiles and eyebrows’, ‘FOIL’ and a grid method. They are
demonstrated in the following examples.

EXAMPLE
Expand and simplify (x  3)(2x  5).
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5.4 Multiplying two brackets together 81

SOLUTION Each term in the first bracket is multiplied


1 4 by each term in the second one. The ‘smiles
and eyebrows’ show which pairs of terms
(x  3)(2x  5)  2x 2  6x  5x  15
are multiplying at each stage.
2
3  2x 2  11x  15

EXAMPLE
Expand and simplify (2x  3)(3x  1).
Here we are using ‘FOIL’.
First 2x times 3x gives 6x 2
SOLUTION Outside: 2x times 1 gives 2x
Inside:  3 times 3x gives  9x
(2x  3)(3x  1)  6x 2  2x  9x  3
Last:  3 times 1 gives 3
 6x 2  7x  3

EXAMPLE
Expand and simplify (4x  1)(2x  5).

SOLUTION
The two terms from the first bracket are
written along one edge of the grid, and the
4x 1 terms from the other bracket down the
2x 8x 2
2x other edge. The grid is then filled in by
multiplying corresponding pairs of terms,
5 20x 5 for example 4x times 5 gives 20x.

(4x  1)(2x  5)  8x 2  2x  20x  5


 8x 2  22x  5

You may use whichever of these methods you prefer – or even a combination of
them. They are different ways of obtaining the same list of terms prior to
collecting like terms.

EXERCISE 5.4
Expand and simplify these products of brackets. You may use any valid method of your choice, but you
should show all the steps in your working.

1 (x  3)(3x  4) 2 (x  2)(4x  5) 3 (x  4)(2x  1)

4 (x  5)(2x  1) 5 (x  3)(2x  2) 6 (2x  11)(2x  1)

7 (3x  4)(x  2) 8 (x  6)(6x  1) 9 (2x  5)(2x  3)

10 (x  13)(4x  1) 11 (3x  2)(2x  3) 12 (4x  1)(2x  5)


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82 Chapter 5: Working with algebra

13 (7x  3)(2x  3) 14 (x 3)(x  4) 15 (2x  3)(3x  2)

16 (x  3)(2x  5) 17 (x  7)(x  7) 18 (2x  3)(2x  3)

19 (x  3)2 20 (3x  4)2

Note that, in question 19, (x  3)2 means (x  3)(x  3).

5.5 Factorising – common factors


Sometimes it is desirable to apply the reverse of expanding brackets – this is
known as factorising. The idea is to take an expression that does not contain
brackets, and rewrite it as some kind of product of factors, so that brackets are
required in the final answer. There are several different types of factorisation on
the IGCSE specification, and you should learn to recognise when it is
appropriate to use each type.

The simplest type of factorisation is to extract a common factor. You examine


the terms of the expression one at a time, and look for the highest numerical
and/or algebraic factors of each term, as in these two examples.

EXAMPLE
Factorise 16x  20y.

SOLUTION 16x and 20y are both multiples of 4, so


you divide out 4 as a common factor.
16x  20y  4(4x  5y)

EXAMPLE
Factorise 18x  24x 2.

Although 18x and 24x2 are both multiples of 2, you can do


SOLUTION better – they are both multiples of 6. Also, it is possible to
factor x out of both 18x and 24x2, so the highest common
factor is 6x.
18x  24x 2  6x(3  4x)

Even if there are more terms, and more letters, the same overall principle
applies. Find the highest common factor of the numerical coefficients first, then
the highest common factor of the x parts, then the y parts, and so on.
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5.6 Factorising – quadratic expressions 83

EXAMPLE
Factorise 22x 2y 3  33x 3y 2  44x 4y.

SOLUTION
The highest common factor of all three terms is 11x 2y. Look at 22, 33, 44 to select 11
Next, look at x 2, x 3 and x 4 to select x 2
Thus 22x 2y 3  33x 3y 2  44x 4y  11x 2y(…  …  …) Finally, look at y 3, y 2 and y to select y
 11x 2y(2y 2  3xy  4x 2) Thus the HCF is 11x2y

EXERCISE 5.5
Factorise these expressions. They may all be done using the common factor method.

1 x 2  6x 2 2x 2  6x 3 2x 2  6xy

4 y 2  10y 5 2y 2  10y 6 6x  9x 2

7 12y 2  8 8 12y 2  8y 9 fg  3g 2

10 9y 2  12y 11 5x 5  4x 4 12 12x2  6x 3

13 14a 2  21ab 14 5xy  10y 15 14  10y

16 15xy  9x 2y 17 8y 2  20y 3 18 12y 2  8y

19 6  18x 2 20 12pq 3  12pq 2  15pq

5.6 Factorising – quadratic expressions


Earlier in this chapter you practised multiplying out the products of two brackets.
For example, (x  1)(x  3) could be multiplied out to make x 2  4x  3. It is
possible to reverse this process, in order to factorise some kinds of algebraic
expressions, known as quadratics.

EXAMPLE
Factorise x 2  7x  6. Each bracket must contain an x, to give a product of x2 …
… and there must be two numbers in here which multiply
SOLUTION together to make 6.
x 2  7x  6  (x  …)(x  …)
 (x  6)(x  1) They cannot be  2 and  3, since these would contribute
2x and 3x, which do not combine to make 7x.
Check:
They could be  6 and  1, since these would contribute
(x  6)(x  1)  x 2  6x  x  6
 6x and  x, which do combine to make 7x.
 x 2  7x  6 as required.

This method of factorising can involve some experimentation before you find the
right solution, especially when there are minus signs involved too. It is a good idea
to check your final answer by multiplying the brackets back out again.
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84 Chapter 5: Working with algebra

Here is another way in which the signs sometimes occur.

EXAMPLE
Factorise x 2  7x  12.
To give a product of x 2, each bracket must contain an x.
Both the signs must be negative, in order to generate  7x but
SOLUTION multiply to  12.
x 2  7x  12  (x  …)(x  …)
 (x  3)(x  4) You could try 12 and 1, or 6 and 2, but 4 and 3 look
more promising.
Check:
(x  3)(x  4)  x 2  3x  4x  12
 x 2  7x  12 as required.

Sometimes the final number term is negative, indicating that one of the factors
is positive and the other negative. Take care to match them the right way round.

EXAMPLE
Factorise x 2  3x  28.
One sign is positive, and one negative, in order to generate
28 at the end.
SOLUTION Factors of 4 and 7 look good, since they multiply to make
x 2  3x  28  (x  …)(x  …) 28, and they differ by 3.
 (x  4)(x  7)
Try (x  4)(x  7) and (x  7)(x  4). They both give 28,
Check:
but one gives  3x and the other  3x.
(x  4)(x  7)  x 2  4x  7x  28
 x 2  3x  28 as required.

EXERCISE 5.6
Factorise these quadratic expressions.

1 x 2  8x  7 2 x 2  9x  14 3 x 2  5x  6

4 x 2  11x  30 5 x 2  10x  16 6 x 2  4x  3

7 x 2  7x  10 8 x 2  11x  30 9 x 2  3x  2

10 x 2  7x  12 11 x 2  3x  4 12 x 2  x  6

13 x 2  x  6 14 x 2  4x  5 15 x 2  x  12

16 x 2  8x  12 17 x 2  12x  32 18 x 2  x  72

19 x 2  7x  12 20 x 2  7x  44
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5.8 Factorising – difference of two squares 85

5.7 Factorising – harder quadratic expressions


Suppose you need to factorise a quadratic such as 2x 2  x  3. This is a little
harder than the examples you have tried so far. Exactly the same methods are
used, but there are more possibilities to consider, because the 2x 2 can factorise
as 2x in one bracket and x in the other.

EXAMPLE
Factorise 2x 2  x  3.
Means 1x. To give a product of x 2, one bracket must contain an x, and
the other, 2x.
SOLUTION
2x 2  x  3  (2x …)(x …) One of the signs must be positive, and the other negative, to
 (2x  3)(x  1) get a product of 3.

Check: The numbers must be 3 and 1, and after some experimentation,


(2x  3)(x  1)  2x 2  3x  2x  3 this combination of  3 and  1 is seen to work.
 2x 2  x  3 as required.

EXERCISE 5.7
Factorise these quadratic expressions.

1 2x 2  3x  1 2 2x 2  5x  3 3 2x 2  5x  2

4 3x 2  5x  2 5 3x 2  2x  1 6 5x 2  4x  1

7 2x 2  x  1 8 5x 2  9x  2 9 3x 2  8x  4

10 2x 2  11x  6 11 2x 2  9x  9 12 6x 2  x  1

13 6x 2  5x  25 14 12x 2  8x  1 15 15x 2  19x  6

16 4x 2  4x  1 17 6x 2  13x  2 18 2x 2  9x  7

19 4x 2  12x  9 20 2x 2  3x  9

5.8 Factorising – difference of two squares


Finally, you may meet a quadratic expression with no middle term, such as
x 2  25. This is equal to having x 2  0x  25. In this case the two factors are
symmetric, one with a positive sign and one negative, to give the result
x 2  25  (x  5)(x  5).

More generally,
x 2  a 2  (x  a)(x  a)
This is a result known as the difference of two squares.
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86 Chapter 5: Working with algebra

EXAMPLE
Factorise x 2  144.

SOLUTION
x 2  144  (x  12)(x  12)

EXAMPLE
Factorise 10x 2  360.

SOLUTION
First, take out a common factor …
10x 2  360  10(x 2  36)
… then apply the difference of two squares.
 10(x  6) (x  6)

EXERCISE 5.8A
Factorise these expressions, using the difference of two squares method.

1 x2  1 2 y 2  121 3 x 2  81

4 y 2  400 5 3x 2  75 6 2x 2  18

7 7y 2  63 8 10x 2  40 9 3x 2  27

10 4y 2  100

The next exercise contains a mixture of all the different factorising methods you have learnt so far.

EXERCISE 5.8B
Factorise these expressions.

1 x 2  6x  5 2 x 2  8x 3 y 2  15y  44

4 x 2  11x  30 5 x 2  7x 6 y 2  3y  10

7 4x 2  9x  2 8 y 2  y  30 9 x 2  3x  2

10 x 2  8x  15 11 y 2  16 12 5xy  10y 2

13 4x 2  8x  3 14 7y 2  700 15 x 2  2x  24

16 2y 2  y  10 17 4z 2  4z 18 2x 2  3x  1

19 3x 2  12 20 2x 2  5x  3
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5.9 Generating formulae 87

5.9 Generating formulae


Formulae can be generated from information given in words. You may also
generate them from information given by a diagram, or even another formula.

EXAMPLE
A factory produces handbags by cutting and shaping rectangles of material. To
make one bag, a rectangle of material p cm by q cm is needed. The factory finds
that an area A of material is just sufficient to make n bags.
Obtain a formula for A in terms of p, q and n.

SOLUTION
The area required for one bag is found by multiplying p and q together: pq.
For n such bags, the area of material must be n times bigger: npq.
Thus the required formula is
A  npq

EXAMPLE
A square of side x cm is removed from each corner of a rectangle measuring
a cm by b cm.
a) Draw a sketch to show this information.
b) Find a formula for the area, A cm 2, remaining after the removal of the four
squares.
c) The sides are now folded up to make a rectangular tray of depth x cm.
Find a formula for the volume, V cm 3, of the tray.

SOLUTION
a)
x x
x x

x x
x x

b) The original rectangle has an area of ab.


Each square has an area of x 2, and there are four, giving a total of 4x 2.
Thus the area remaining is:
A  ab  4x 2
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88 Chapter 5: Working with algebra

c) Fold up the sides to make a tray:

a  2x

x b  2x

The base is now a rectangle of dimensions (a  2x) and (b  2x),


so the area of the base rectangular base of the tray is (a  2x)(b  2x).
To obtain the volume, this is multiplied by the depth, x, to give:
V  x (a  2x)(b  2x)

EXERCISE 5.9
1 An equilateral triangle has sides of length x cm. Obtain a formula for the perimeter P of the triangle.

2 A helicopter consumes n litres of fuel per minute. Obtain a formula for the total number of litres T of fuel
consumed during a flight lasting half an hour.

3 Each month I have to pay £x for my house mortgage, and each year I have to pay £y for buildings
insurance. Find a formula for the total £T I have to pay in mortgage and buildings insurance over a period
of 5 years.

4 Ginny is given £500 on her 18th birthday, which she saves in a building society account. She then adds
£10 per month to her savings. Obtain a formula for the amount £P she will have in the account after m
months of saving.

5 A rectangle of area A has length l cm. Find a formula for its width, w cm, in terms of A and l.

6 My brother is 11 years older than me.


a) Denoting my present age as n years, write down my brother’s present age.
b) Obtain a formula for T, the total obtained by adding our two ages together.

7 Pencils cost 15 pence each, and pens 25 pence each.


a) Write an expression for the cost of x pencils.
b) Write a formula for the total cost, T pence, of x pencils and y pens.

8 The cost of hiring a bicycle is £5 plus a daily charge of £2 per day.


a) Find the cost of hiring the bicycle for 5 days.
b) Obtain a formula for the cost, £C, of hiring the bicycle for n days.
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5.10 Changing the subject of a formula 89

9 Digital photos are stored as files on a memory card. Each photo takes up 0.3 MB of space on the card.
The card can hold 128 MB of data.
a) Find the amount of space occupied by 60 photos.
b) Obtain a formula for the amount of space S remaining on the card when n photos have been stored on it.
c) What is the maximum value of n?

10 A rectangle of dimensions a cm by b cm has a 1 cm square cut out from each of its four corners.
The sides thus formed are then folded up to make a rectangular tray.
a) Find an expression for the area of the base of the tray.
b) Find a formula for the volume, V cm3, of the rectangular tray.

5.10 Changing the subject of a formula


A formula usually has a single letter term on the left-hand side of the equals
sign. This is called the subject of the formula. For example, the formula
C  2r has C as its subject.

Sometimes you will want to rearrange the formula so that one of the other
letters becomes the subject instead.

EXAMPLE
Make r the subject of C  2r.
First, rewrite the original equation with the left
and right-hand sides swapped over…
SOLUTION
C  2 r … next, divide both sides by 2…
2r  C
… and finish by dividing both sides by .
C
r  
2 C
C Note that the  goes next to the 2. Do not write 2 .
r   
2

Some problems require a mixture of addition/subtraction and multiplication/division.


You need to think carefully about the appropriate order in which to do these.

EXAMPLE
Make x the subject of y  mx  c.

SOLUTION
Again, begin by swapping over the left- and right-hand sides…
y  mx  c
mx  c  y
…. next, subtract c from both sides….
mx  y  c
yc
x   … and finish by dividing both sides by m.
m
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90 Chapter 5: Working with algebra

The quantity to be made the new subject might appear as a squared term in the
initial formula, for example, r 2. In this case, just make r 2 the subject of the new
formula, then square root at the end.

EXAMPLE
1
Make r the subject of V  3r 2h.

SOLUTION
1
V  3r 2h
1
   r 2h V Start by swapping the left and right-hand sides over …
3

r 2h  3V
… then multiply both sides by 3 …
3V
r 2  
h
… and divide both sides by h.
Square rooting both sides, we obtain:


3V
r 
h

Harder examination questions might be set where the new subject appears twice
in the original equation, or the new subject appears as part of an algebraic
fraction. You will find some examples of these harder types of problems in
Chapter 26 of this book.

EXERCISE 5.10
Rearrange these formulae so that the indicated letter becomes the subject.

1 A  rl (make r the subject)

2 v  u  at (u)

3 v  u  at (a)
1
4 V  3r 2h (h)

5 E  mc 2 (m)

6 y  4x  3 (x)
x
7 y    3 (x)
5
x3
8 y   (x)
5
1
9 A  2bh (h)

10 E  mc 2 (c)
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Review exercise 5 91

11 A  4xy  x 2 (y)

12 P  I 2R (R)

13 y  m(x  a) (x)

14 v 2  u 2  2as (a)

15 A  4r 2 (r)

16 y  x 2  9 (x)

17 x2  y 2  z 2 (y)

18 V  abc (b)
4
19 V  3r 3 (r)

20 v 2  u 2  2as (u)

REVIEW EXERCISE 5
1 If p  4, q  2 and r  5, find the values of:
a) 3pq b) 2p 2 c) 4p  3r d) pqr

2 If x  3, y  2 and z  10, find the values of:


a) 2x 2 b) y 3 c) 3z  xy d) z(x  y)

3 If s  1, t  4 and u  1, find the values of:


a) su b) t 2  3u c) 2s  3t  4u

Simplify each of these algebraic expressions:

4 x2  x5 5 3x 4  x 2 6 4x 3  3x 2

7 10y 8  2y 5 8 8z 5  2z 4 9 12xy 8  4y 5

10 (x 2)3 11 (5xy 2)2 12 (3xy)2y 2

5x 4  6x 2 (3xy)  (4x 2y 3)
13 (3x 2)3  3x 6 14  15 3
3x 3 6x y 2

Expand and simplify the following expressions:

16 5(x  2)  2(x  3) 17 2(y  5)  3(y  1) 18 3(z  1)  5(z  2)

19 7(x  1)  6(x  2) 20 4(2x  2)  2(x  3) 21 2(2x  5)  2(x  1)

22 7(3x  1)  9(x  1) 23 4(x  2)  2(x  4) 24 3(2x  4)  4(x  3)

25 5(2x  2)  2(5x  1)
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92 Chapter 5: Working with algebra

Expand and simplify these expressions:

26 (x  5)(x  1) 27 (y  5)(y  7) 28 (z  4)(2z  1)

29 (x  5)(x  4) 30 (2x  3)(x  5) 31 (2x  1)(x  1)

32 (3x  2)(x  3) 33 (2x  3)(2x  3) 34 (x  4)(x  4)

35 5(x  1)(x  1)

Factorise the following expressions. You might need to use common factors, quadratic factorisation,
or the difference of two squares.

36 24x 2  10x 37 16xy  20y 2 38 x 2  10x  21

39 y 2  2y  1 30 z 2  64 41 2y 2  9y  5

42 2x 2  9x  4 43 12x 2  10x 44 2y 2  7y  6

45 4x 2  36

46 A Post Office sells x 26 pence stamps and y 19 pence stamps during one day. The total income from the
stamps is T pence. Write a formula expressing T in terms of x and y.

47 A theatre charges £5 for adult tickets and £3 for children. Altogether a group of x adults and y children
pays a total of £T.
a) Find a formula for T in terms of x and y.
b) What can you say about the values of x and y if the average ticket price for the group turned out to be £4?

48 In a dice game you score either 5 points or 2 points each time you play. Fred plays 10 times, and wins
5 points on n of the 10 games.
a) Write an expression for the total number of points Fred scores in all 10 games.
b) Simplify your expression as much as possible.

49 Rearrange the formula C  2r to make r the subject.


1
50 Make a the subject of the formula s  ut  2at 2.

51 Rearrange the formula A  r 2 to make r the subject.

g.
l
52 Make l the subject of the formula T  2

53 Lisa packs pencils in boxes. She packs 12 pencils in each box. Lisa packs x boxes of pencils.
a) Write an expression, in terms of x, for the number of pencils Lisa packs.
Lisa also packs pens in boxes. She packs 10 pens into each box. Lisa packs y boxes of pens.
b) Write down an expression, in terms of x and y, for the total number of pens and pencils Lisa packs.
[Edexcel]

54 Sharon earns p pounds per hour. She works for h hours. She also earns a bonus of b pounds.
Write down a formula for the total amount she earns, w pounds. [Edexcel]
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Review exercise 5 93

55 Daniel buys n books at £4 each. He pays for them with a £20 note.
He receives C pounds change. Write down a formula for C in terms of n. [Edexcel]

56 a) Simplify 5p  4q  3p  q
x7
b) Simplify 2
x
c) Factorise 4x  6
d) Multiply out and simplify (x  3)(x  2)
e) Simplify 2x 3  x 5 [Edexcel]

57 a) Simplify y 3  y 4.
b) Expand and simplify 5(2x  3)  2(x  1).
c) (i) Factorise 4a  6.
(ii) Factorise completely 6p 2  9pq. [Edexcel]

58 Tayub said, ‘When x  3, then the value of 4x 2 is 144.’


Bryani said, ‘When x  3, then the value of 4x 2 is 36.’
a) Who was right? Explain why.
b) Work out the value of 4(x  1) 2 when x  3. [Edexcel]

59 Simplify
5p3 12t 5 u3
 
3
a) 3a2b  4a3b2 b)  c)  4
 2 [Edexcel]
q u 3t

60 a) Expand and simplify (x  5)(x  3)


b) Factorise completely 6a 2  9ab [Edexcel]

61 a) Expand and simplify (x  y)2.


b) Hence or otherwise find the value of 3.472  2  3.47  1.53  1.532. [Edexcel]

62 Simplify fully:
3q 4  2q 5
a) (p3)3 b)  [Edexcel]
q3
x2  4
63 Make x the subject of the formula y   [Edexcel]
5

64 a) Simplify k 5  k 2
b) Expand and simplify:
(i) 4(x  5)  3(x  7)
(ii) (x  3y) (x  2y)
c) Factorise (p  q)2  5(p  q)
d) Simplify (m4)2
e) Simplify 2t 2  3r 3t 4 [Edexcel]
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94 Chapter 5: Working with algebra

Key points
1 When substituting numbers into expressions, remember the BIDMAS sequence –
Brackets, then Indices, followed by Division/Multiplication and, finally,
Addition/Subtraction.
2 In particular, remember that, for example, the value of 2x 2 when x  3, is
2 times 9  18, and not 62  36; the squaring must be done before the
multiplication by 2.
3 There are three algebraic laws of indices:
xa  xb  xa  b
xa  xb  xa  b
(x a)b  x ab
4 When expanding brackets, watch for a minus sign in front of a bracket – this will
change the sign of all the terms inside the bracket, for example:
3(2x  5)  6x  15
5 In algebra, factorising is the reverse process of expanding. It can be confusing
because there are several different methods, so make sure you have studied them
all. You need to know the common factor method, the quadratic method and the
difference of two squares, and when it is appropriate to apply each approach.
6 Rearranging the subject of a formula is, perhaps, the most awkward topic in this
chapter, and you may need to practise some more questions in order to master it. If
you still find it tricky, ask your teacher to explain the reverse flow diagram method;
this can be easy to use, but it only works for certain types of question.
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Internet Challenge 5 95

Internet Challenge 5
The language of algebra
The wordsearch below contains 20 algebraic words for you to find. Once you have located them, use the
internet to check the precise meaning of each word.

T E Q U A T I O N N D P O R I

V X S P G F E N Y M Z S E R Y

B P O W E R F T L A C I D A R

Q R X O Y U O M K P P M S T L

U E S N E O A N T P N P C I H

O S L D R U S A O I S L D O S

T S A O D E R L U N F I V N J

I I N O E X Y E A G I F A A Y

E O J E L N C D U H C Y R L T

N N D N O I T C N U F E I Q I

T E R M G E O W L A L H A F T

A R I L T C U D O R P N B A N

V A D J H Y T E D W T X L B E

L Y T S F A C T O R I S E L D

C I T A R D A U Q F V H I Y I

Here are the words to find. They may run left, right, up, down or diagonally.
EQUATION EXPAND EXPRESSION FACTORISE FUNCTION
IDENTITY INDEX MAPPING POLYNOMIAL POWER
PRODUCT QUADRATIC QUOTIENT RADICAL RATIONAL
ROOT SIMPLIFY SURD TERM VARIABLE

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