ALGEBRAIC

EXPRESSIONS 1

7.1 UNKNOWNS
7.2 ALGEBRAIC TERMS
Learning Outcome :
1. Use alphabets to represent unknown
numbers.
2. Identify algebraic terms with one unknown.
3. Identify coefficients in given algebraic
terms in one unknown.
4. Identify like and unlike terms with one
unknown.
A. Using letters to represent unknown numbers.
1. An unknown is quantity that is not known.
For example, the number of students in a class is an
unknown.
2. Unknowns can be represented by letters.
For example, x represents the number of students in
a class.
Example 1 :
Identify the unknown in each of the following
situations.
(a) Salina bought some oranges from the market.
(b) Many students passed the Mathematics test.
Solution :
(a) The unknown is the number of oranges.
(b) The unknown is the number of students.
Example 2 :
Identify and represent the unknowns with suitable letters
in each of the following.

(a) There were a number of ladies who took part in

the cooking competition.
(b) Mr. Lim needs a few hours to reach town A.

Solution :
(a) The unknown is the number of ladies.
There were n number of ladies who took part in the
cooking competition.

(b) The unknown is the number of ladies

Mr. Lim needs m hours to reach town A.
B Identifying unknowns in given situations.
Letters can also be used to represent objects.
Example :
Determine whether each of the following letters represents
an unknown quantity or an object.
(a) There were d students and b teachers from school C
who joined the camping.
(b) Mrs P bought e apples and f oranges from
supermarket g
Solution :
(a) and are unknowns.
is an object.
(b) and are unknowns.
and are objects.
.
C. Identifying algebraic terms with one unknown.

1. An algebraic term with one unknown is the product of

1
an unknown and a number. For example , 2x , m and
2
0.7p are algebraic terms with one unknown.
Example 4 :
Determine which of the following is an algebraic term
with one unknown.
1 r 1
3p, xy , 10m , 5gh , ,
2 7 pq

Solution :
r
3p , 10m and
7
D. Identifying coefficient in given algebraic terms with
one unknown.
1. The number placed in front of the unknown in an
algebraic term is known as the coefficient.
For example, the coefficient of x in the term 2x is 2.
The coefficient of an unknown can be positive or negative.
Example 5 :
Write the coefficient of each of the following
algebraic terms.
q
(a) y (b) 5p (c)
6
(d) z (e) 0.2a
Solution :
q 1
(a) y = 1 y (b) 5p = 5 p (c) = q
=1 =5 6 6
1

(d) z = 1 z (e) 0.2a = 0.2 a 6
= 1 = 0.2
EXERCISE 1
Learning Outcomes :
Students will able to ;
1. Recognize algebraic expressions.
2. Determine the number of terms in
a given algebraic expression.
3. Simplify algebraic expressions
by combining the like terms.
A Algebraic Expressions For Terms With
One Unknown.
An algebraic expression is a combination of two
or more terms with the operation addition or
subtraction or both.
For example,
(b) 3a + 5a is an algebraic expression with two
like terms.
(b) m + 2m 7m is an expression with three like
terms.
(c) 2p q is an expression with two unlike
terms.
Example 1:

Determine the number of terms in each of the

following expressions.
1
(a) 12r + 0.5s 4 (b) 3x y + 10 + 2z
2
Solution :
(a) 3 terms (b) 4 terms
EXERCISE 3
B Simplifying Algebraic Expressions.
1. An algebraic expression involving like terms
can be simplified by maintaining the
unknowns and then, add or subtract the
coefficients of those unknowns.
Example 2 :
Simplify each of the following:
(a) 5m + 2m (b) 3k 5k
Solution :
(a) 5m + 2m = (5 + 2) m
= 7m

(b) 3k 5k = (3 5) k
= 2k
2. To simplify algebraic expressions involving like
terms and unlike terms, follow the steps below ;
Step 1 : Group the like terms.
Step 2 : Add or subtract the coefficients of the
like terms.
Example 3 :
Simplify each of the following.
(a)9n + 3m 2n + m
(b) 8 x 1 y 3x + 6y + 7
2
Solution :
(a) 9n + 3m 2n + m Gather the like term

= 9n 2n + 3m + m
= 7n + 4m
(b) 8 x 1 y 3x + 6y + 7
2
1
= 8x 3x y + 6y + 7
2

1
= 5x + 5 y + 7
2
3. To simplify algebraic expressions which are
combined by addition or subtraction, use the
following rules:

+ (a + b) = + a + b
+ (a b) = + a b
(a + b) = a b
(a b) = + a + b
 Example 4 :
Simplify the following :
(a) (5a + 5b) + (3a 4b)
(b) (2a 5b) (9a + 12b)
(c) (10a 8b) (a 7b)

Solution :
(a) (5a + 5b) + (3a 4b)
= 5a + 5b + 3a 4b Drop the
brackets
= 5a + 3a +5b 4b
= 8a + 3b
Gather the like
terms
(b) (2a 5b) (9a + 12b)
= 2a 5b 9a 12b
= 2a 9a 5b 12b
= 7a 17b

(a + b) = a b
(c) (10a 8b) (a 7b)
= 10a 8b a + 7b
= 10a a 8b + 7b
= 9a b
(a b) = a + b
EXERCISE 4
THE END