Sec 1&2 Junior Lesson 2

Math Olympiad Training Program
SECONDARY 1&2
Junior – Lesson 2
ALGEBRA
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Copyright © 2022 by SIMCC

BASICS OF ALGEBRA
Algebra is a generalization of arithmetic. Word problems can be easily solved using

algebra.
A symbol, called variable, usually denoted by “x” is used to mean a number.
Example 1
Arithmetic: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5
2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 5 × 2 = 10
3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 5 × 3 = 15
Algebra: 𝑥 + 𝑥 + 𝑥 + 𝑥 + 𝑥 = 5𝑥 , where 𝑥 is any number.
Example 2
Arithmetic: 3 + 7 − 6 = 4
(3 × 2) + (7 × 2) − (6 × 2) = 4 × 2 = 8
(3 × 5) + (7 × 5) − (6 × 5) = 4 × 5 = 20
Algebra: 3𝑦 + 7𝑦 − 6𝑦 = 4𝑦, where 𝑦 is any number.
Example 3
Arithmetic: 2 + 3 − 1 + 9 + 4 − 5 = 12
Algebra: 2𝑥 + 3𝑥 − 𝑥 + 9𝑥 + 4𝑥 − 5𝑥 = 12𝑥
Example 4
Different variables cannot be combined into one term when the operation is either
addition or subtraction.
3𝑥 + 6𝑦 + 9𝑥 + 𝑥 − 𝑦 + 2𝑥 − 2𝑦 = (3𝑥 + 9𝑥 + 𝑥 + 2𝑥) + (6𝑦 − 𝑦 − 2𝑦) = 𝟏𝟓𝒙 + 𝟑𝒚
1
Practice
1. Simplify the following expressions:
a. 8𝑥 + 7𝑥 + 6𝑥 + 𝑥 − 2𝑥
b. 𝑥 + 2𝑥 + 3𝑥 + 4𝑥 + 5𝑥 + 6𝑥 + 7𝑥 + 8𝑥 + 9𝑥 + 10𝑥
c. 2𝑥 + 5𝑥 + 𝑦 + 3𝑥 − 𝑥 + 10𝑦 − 𝑦 + 7𝑥 + 15
d. 21𝑥 + 7𝑦 − 3𝑥 + 4𝑥𝑦 − 2𝑦 + 3𝑥𝑦 − 2𝑥 + 6𝑦 − 𝑥𝑦
e. 8(𝑥 + 3) − 2(3 + 2𝑥) + 4(2𝑥 + 2)
f. 2(𝑥 + 2) + 3𝑥 + 12 + 8𝑦 − 2(𝑦 + 1)
g. 2(𝑥𝑦 + 4) + 3𝑥(𝑦 + 1) − 2(𝑥𝑦 + 2)
h. 𝑥(2𝑦 + 1) − (3𝑥 + 3𝑦) + 12(𝑥 + 2) + 3(3𝑦 + 10) + 10
2
SOLVING AN UNKNOWN
All words problems that can be solved using models can be easily solved using algebra.
In models, we usually denote the unknown as “1 unit”. In algebra, this is denoted by

a variable, usually “x”.
1 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 ⟺ 𝑥
Example 1
Models: 1 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 + 1 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 + 1 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 = 3 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠
Algebra: 𝑥 + 𝑥 + 𝑥 = 3𝑥
Example 2
If 2014 is added to a number, the result is 20 times of the number. What is the number?
(NMOS)
By algebra:
Let 𝑥 be the number. Then, 𝑥 + 2014 = 20𝑥. It follows that 19𝑥 = 2014,
2014
and so 𝑥 = 19 = 106.
3
2. Solve for the unknown
a. 𝑦 + 2𝑦 + 8𝑦 − 𝑦 = 70
b. 3𝑥 − 𝑥 + 5𝑥 + 2𝑥 − 3𝑥 + 𝑥 = 63
c. 4𝑤 + 3(𝑤 − 2) = 22
d. 𝑥 + 2(𝑥 + 1) + 3𝑥 − (𝑥 + 2) + 4𝑥 + 3 = 57
e. 2𝑥 + 34 = 5𝑥 − 26
f. 7𝑥 + 𝑥 − 5 + 3𝑥 = 5𝑥 + 3 − 𝑥 + 48
g. 3𝑚 + 2(𝑚 − 5) + 4 = 2(𝑚 + 3)
h. 7(𝑘 − 1) − 2(𝑘 + 1) + 3𝑘 − 2 = 4(𝑘 + 3) + 1
𝑥 𝑥+1
i. =
5 10
2 2𝑥
j. 3 = 𝑥+24
4
Solve the following word problems using algebra.
3. Four less than the product of a number and six is 44. What is the number?
4. The sum of Jackson’s and Cindy’s heights is 340 cm. Jackson is 14 cm taller than
Cindy. How tall is Cindy?
5. The sum of John’s and Peter’s ages is 24 years. John is 3 times older than Peter.
What is Peter’s age?
6. Amy was asked to multiply a certain number by 8 and then add 5. Instead, she
added 8 and then multiplied the result by 5, giving an answer of 2015. What would
her answer had been if she has worked the problem correctly?
5
7. Jason is twice as old as his sister Jenny. Jenny is 3 years older than her brother
Robert. The sum of their ages is 33. What is Jenny’s age?
8. 97 candies with 3 different flavors are placed in a big bowl. There are 11 more
orange candies than grape candies. There are 6 fewer apple candies than orange
candies. How many orange, grape and apple candies are there in the bowl?
9. Jackson has $15 more than Lucas. Lucas has $10 more than Henry. Henry has $5
more than Raynard. The total amount of money they have is $150. How much
money does each of them have?
10. There are 135 tables in three classrooms. After moving 10 tables from classroom
A and 23 tables from classroom C to classroom B, the number of tables in three
classroom will be the same. How many tables were there in each classroom at first?
6
11. Joyce and Jade had the same number of pens at first. Joyce gave 5 pens to
Jade. Jade then bought 2 more pens. The number of pens Jade had in the end was
four times as many as the number of pens Joyce had. How many pens did each of
them have at first?
12. Charles and Denise are brother and sister. Charles has twice as many brothers
as he has sisters, but Denise has 5 times as many brothers as she has sisters. How
many boys and girls are there in their family?
13. Anne, Joy and Mary recently took a math test. Anne got 93 marks, Joy got 4 marks
lower than their average grades, and Mary got 2 marks higher than Joy. What is their
average grade?
14. Ali has 5 marbles less than the average of Bronson's and Charlie's. Bronson has
twice as many marbles as Ali. How many marbles does Charlie have?

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Math Olympiad Training Program

Copyright © 2022 by SIMCC

Algebra is a generalization of arithmetic. Word problems can be easily solved using

Algebra: 𝑥 + 𝑥 + 𝑥 + 𝑥 + 𝑥 = 5𝑥 , where 𝑥 is any number.

Algebra: 3𝑦 + 7𝑦 − 6𝑦 = 4𝑦, where 𝑦 is any number.

3𝑥 + 6𝑦 + 9𝑥 + 𝑥 − 𝑦 + 2𝑥 − 2𝑦 = (3𝑥 + 9𝑥 + 𝑥 + 2𝑥) + (6𝑦 − 𝑦 − 2𝑦) = 𝟏𝟓𝒙 + 𝟑𝒚

1. Simplify the following expressions:

d. 21𝑥 + 7𝑦 − 3𝑥 + 4𝑥𝑦 − 2𝑦 + 3𝑥𝑦 − 2𝑥 + 6𝑦 − 𝑥𝑦

e. 8(𝑥 + 3) − 2(3 + 2𝑥) + 4(2𝑥 + 2)

g. 2(𝑥𝑦 + 4) + 3𝑥(𝑦 + 1) − 2(𝑥𝑦 + 2)

h. 𝑥(2𝑦 + 1) − (3𝑥 + 3𝑦) + 12(𝑥 + 2) + 3(3𝑦 + 10) + 10

In models, we usually denote the unknown as “1 unit”. In algebra, this is denoted by

Models: 1 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 + 1 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 + 1 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 = 3 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠

h. 7(𝑘 − 1) − 2(𝑘 + 1) + 3𝑘 − 2 = 4(𝑘 + 3) + 1

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