AL Pure Mathematics- Graded

Homework 2
Algebra

Total: 50 marks

Question 1 [14 marks]

1. Solve for x (2)
a) |x| < a
b) |x| > a

2. Solve for x , |5x + 1| = |11 − 2x| (3)

Sketch a graph of both LHS and RHS functions and refer to it in the determination of solutions.
Separately, square both sides and solve for x.

3. In a similar way, solve |x − 3| = |3x + 1| (3)

4. Use any suitable method to solve while referring to a relevant graph,

|x + 2| < |3x + 1| (3)

5. By using a sketch of the LHS function, solve:

|x + 1| + |1 − x| = 2 . (3)

Question 2 [10 marks]

1. Find the remainder when x4 − 3x3 + 5x, is divided by 2x − 1. Also confirm this result by
performing long division. (3)

2. Factorize as much as possible: x4 + x3 − 3x2 − 4x − 4 . (3)

3. The polynomial 2x3 − x2 + ax − 6, where a is a constant, is denoted by p(x). It is given

that (x + 2) is a factor of p(x) find a. When a has this value, factorize p(x) completely.
(4)
Question 3 [14 marks]
Express the following in partial fractions.
7x2 −3x+2
1. (3)
x(x2 +1)
x3 −1
2.
x2 (x +1)
​(3)
x −3
3. (4)
x +4x2 −2x−8
3

x2 +x+1
4. (4)
x4 −1

Question 4 [12 marks]

1
1. y= (2−x)(1 +2x)
, expand y as a series of ascending powers of x up to and

including the term in x3 , simplifying the coefficients. Find the range of x-values for which
this expansion is valid. (4)

2. Under what conditions does

1
1 − x + x2 − x3 + ... =
1+x ? (1)

3. Expand as a series of ascending powers of x up to and including the term containing x3 ,

simplifying the coefficients. State the range of x for which the expansion is valid.
−1
(1 + 1x ) (3)

1
4. By substituting 0.08 for x in (1 + x) 2 and its expansion, find √3 correct to four significant
figures. (4)