Practice Algebra – set 2

Exercise 2.1
Evaluate the following expressions when s = 6 and t = −1.
(a) 2(s + t) (b) s + t2 (c) st + 3t (d) t(s + 3)

Exercise 2.2
√
Identify the terms in the expression 4 − 3k + h3 − 27 k.

Exercise 2.3
True or false?
In the expression 4a − a2 + 3 − 2b
(a) The coefficient of b is 2.
(b) a2 has no coefficient.
(c) The coefficient of a2 is 1.
(d) The coefficient of a2 is −1.
(e) 3 is a constant term.
(f) 3 − 2b is a term.
(g) a2 is a term.
(h) 4a and −a2 are like terms.

Exercise 2.4
Simplify the following expressions by collecting like terms.
(a) k + 3k
(b) 2m + m2 − m
(c) 6xy − 3x − 2x + y
(d) 2ab − a2 b − 5ba
(e) 4a + 2A + 3 − 1
(f) 4pq − 3q + pq + 3q

Exercise 2.5
Which of the following expressions are equivalent?
(a) xy + 3x − y
(b) xy − y + 3x
(c) y + xy + 3x
(d) y − xy + 3x
(e) 3x + yx − y

Exercise 2.6
Write the following terms in their simplest forms.
(a) a × 2 × 3 × b × a
(b) 2a × 4ab
(c) z 10 × 3z 5
(d) a × (−b) × (−b)
(e) (−2) × g × 3h × (−g) × 7

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Exercise 2.7
Identify the terms in the following expressions and then simplify.
(a) 5a × 2b − (−a) × 4 × b
(b) 2 × (−7P ) × P + Q × 8 × P × (−2)

Exercise 2.8
Multiply out the brackets in the following expressions.
(a) 2a(3a − 6)
(b) 2(x + x2 )y
(c) −2(4 − 2a)
(d) a(b + c) + b(a − c)
(e) 2a − (b − a)

Exercise 2.9
True or false?
(a) k − 3k = 2k
(b) a × b2 × (−2a) = −2a2 b2
(c) 4 − (2 − x) = 2 + x
(d) a(b + c) − b(a − c) − c(b + a) = 0

Exercise 2.10
Expand the following algebraic fractions and then simplify where possible.
2A + 6 5p + p2 q − 3pq
(a) (b)
2 p

Exercise 2.11
Find as many expressions as you can which are equivalent to the following
expression.
6x2 + 25xy

Exercise 2.12
Test the following ‘Think of a number’ tricks by starting with any number
you choose. Then, by starting with n, prove that the trick will always give
a particular answer.

Start with a number Start with n

Think of a number
Double it
Add 1
Multiply by 5
Subtract 3
Subtract ten times the number
you first thought of
And the answer is . . .

2
 Start with a number Start with n
Think of a number
Double it
Subtract 3
Multiply by 2
Add 10
Divide by 4
Subtract 1
And the answer is . . .

Exercise 2.13
(a) Prove that the product of an even number and a multiple of 3 is
always divisible by 6.(Hint: Write the even number as 2a and the
multiple of 3 as 3b, where a and b are integers.)
(b) Do you think that the sum of an even number and a multiple of 3 is
divisible by 6? Find a counterexample, that is, find two numbers, an
even number and a multiple of 3, whose sum is not divisible by 6.

Exercise 2.14
Is x = 5 a solution to these equations?
(a) x + 1 = 4
(b) 3x − 4 = 1 + 2x
(c) 2(x − 1) − (13 − x) = 0

Exercise 2.15
Show (without solving the equation) that x = −2 is a solution to the
equation 3 − 5x = 15 + x.

Exercise 2.16
True or false?
(a) In the expression (4 − a) the coefficient of a is −1.
(b) x + xy + x2 = 3x + xy
(c) 3(2x − 3) = 6x − 3
(d) (2a + b) − (a + b) = a
(e) x = 2 is a solution of the equation 2x + 1 = 5.
(f) x = 1 is a solution of the equation 2x + 1 = 7 − x.

Exercise 2.17
For each of the following find the highest common factor of the terms and
write each term in the form highest common factor × something.
(a) xy 2 and 2x (b) 2xy and 4x2 (c) 12x2 y and 9y 2 z

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Exercise 2.18
Factorise the following expressions by taking out the highest common
factor.
(a) 2x + x2 (b) 5jk − j (c) 6abc + 9bd
1 2 2
(d) a4 − 2a3 b − a5 b3 (e) A − AB (f) 5x2 y − 25xy 2 − 5x
3 3
Exercise 2.19
Take the factor −a out of the expression −ab + a2 − a.

Exercise 2.20
Simplify the following algebraic fractions.
3x2 2a
(a) (b) 2
9x y
3 a + 3ab

Exercise 2.21
Write each of the following expressions as a single algebraic fraction.
7a 2a a b 2 2 2 4
(a) + (b) + (c) − (d) + 2
b b b a x+y x−y xy xy

Exercise 2.22
Write each of the following as a single algebraic fraction, simplifying your
answer if possible.
2a b2 5y 2y
(a) × (b) ÷
b 4a 2 5

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Solutions to Exercises
Solution 2.1 Solution 2.9
(a) 2(s + t) = 2 × (6 + (−1)) = 2 × 5 = 10 (a) False (b) True (c) True (d) True
2 2
(b) s + t = 6 + (−1) = 6 + 1 = 7
Solution 2.10
(c) st + 3t = 6 × (−1) + 3 × (−1) = −9 2A + 6 2A 6
(a) = + =A+3
(d) t(s + 3) = (−1) × (6 + 3) = −9 2 2 2
2
You may like to check that you can also do these 5p + p q − 3pq 5p p2 q 3pq
(b) = + − = 5 + pq − 3q
calculations on your calculator. p p p p

Solution 2.2 Solution 2.11

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√
The terms are +4, −3k, +h and −27 k. Here are some possibilities.
Solution 2.3 (−5)2 yx + 2x2 + 4x2
(a) False (b) False (c) False (d) True 6x3 + 25x2 y
x
(e) True (f) False (g) False (h) False
And you may have noticed that x(6x + 25y) also
Solution 2.4 works.
(a) k + 3k = 4k (b) 2m + m2 − m = m2 + m Solution 2.12
(c) 6xy − 3x − 2x + y = 6xy − 5x + y
Start with Start with n
(d) 2ab − a2 b − 5ba = −3ab − a2 b a number
(e) 4a + 2A + 3 − 1 = 4a + 2A + 2 Think of a
(f) 4pq − 3q + pq + 3q = 5pq number 5 n
Double it 10 2n
Solution 2.5
Add 1 11 2n + 1
(a), (b) and (e) are equivalent.
Multiply by 5 55 5(2n + 1) = 10n + 5
Solution 2.6
Subtract 3 52 10n + 2
(a) a × 2 × 3 × b × a = 6a2 b
Subtract ten
(b) 2a × 4ab = 8a2 b times the number
(c) z 10 × 3z 5 = 3z 15 you first thought
of 2 10n + 2 − 10n = 2
(d) a × (−b) × (−b) = ab2
(e) (−2) × g × 3h × (−g) × 7 = 42g 2h And the answer
is . . . 2 2
Solution 2.7
(a) The terms are +5a × 2b and −(−a) × 4 × b. The
expression simplifies to 10ab + 4ab = 14ab.
(b) The terms are +2 × (−7P ) × P and
+Q × 8 × P × (−2). The expression simplifies to
−14P 2 − 16P Q.

Solution 2.8
(a) 2a(3a − 6) = 6a2 − 12a
(b) 2(x + x2 )y = 2xy + 2x2 y
(c) −2(4 − 2a) = −8 + 4a (or 4a − 8)
(d) a(b + c) + b(a − c) = ab + ac + ab − bc =
2ab + ac − bc
(e) 2a − (b − a) = 2a − b + a = 3a − b

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 Start with Start with n Solution 2.18
a number (a) 2x + x2 = x(2 + x)
Think of a (b) 5jk − j = j(5k − 1)
number −1 n
(c) 6abc + 9bd = 3b(2ac + 3d)
Double it −2 2n
(d) a4 − 2a3 b − a5 b3 = a3 (a − 2b − a2 b3 )
Subtract 3 −5 2n − 3 1 2 2 1 A
(e) A − AB = A(A − 2B) = (A − 2B)
Multiply 3 3 3 3
by 2 −10 2(2n − 3) = 4n − 6 (f) 5x y − 25xy − 5x = 5x(xy − 5y 2 − 1)
2 2

Add 10 0 4n + 4 Solution 2.19

4n + 4 4n 4
Divide by 4 0 = + =n+1 −ab + a2 − a = −a(b − a + 1)
4 4 4
Subtract 1 −1 n+1−1 Solution 2.20
And the (a) 1 1
answer 3x2 /3 x2 1
is . . . −1 n = =
9x3 y /9 x/3 y 3xy
3 x
Solution 2.13
(a) Let the even number be 2a and the multiple of 3 2a 2 a/ 2
(b) = =
be 3b where a and b are integers. Their product a2 + 3ab a/(a + 3b) a + 3b
is (2a) × (3b) = 6 × ab. ab is the product of
integers and so is also an integer and 6 × ab is a Solution 2.21
multiple of 6 and so is divisible by 6. 7a 2a 7a + 21 9a
(a) + = =
(b) A counterexample could be 4 (an even number) b b b b
2 2
and 9 (a multiple of 3). Their sum, 13, is not a b a b a + b2
2
(b) + = + =
divisible by 6. b a ab ab ab
2 2 2(x − y) 2(x + y)
Solution 2.14 (c)
x+y x−y
− = −
(x + y)(x − y) (x + y)(x − y)
(a) When x = 5, LHS = 5 + 1 = 6 6= 4, so x = 5 is 2(x − y) − 2(x + y)
not a solution to the equation. =
(x + y)(x − y)
(b) When x = 5, LHS = 3 × 5 − 4 = 11 and
2x − 2y − 2x − 2y
RHS = 1 + 2 × 5 = 11 = LHS. So x = 5 is a =
solution to the equation. (x + y)(x − y)
 
(c) When x = 5, LHS = 2 × (5 − 1) − (13 − 5) = −4y −4y
= = 2
2 × 4 − 8 = 0 = RHS. So x = 5 is a solution to (x + y)(x − y) x − y2
the equation.
2 4 2y 4 2y + 4
(d) + 2 = 2+ 2 =
Solution 2.15 xy xy xy xy xy 2
When x = −2, LHS = 3 − 5 × (−2) = 13 and
Solution 2.22
RHS = 15 + (−2) = 13. LHS = RHS so −2 is a
solution to the equation. 2a b2 b
(a) × =
b 4a 2
Solution 2.16 5y 2y 5y 5 25
(b) ÷ = × =
(a) True (b) False (c) False (d) True 2 5 2 2y 4

(e) True (f) False

Solution 2.17
(a) The highest common factor is x with
xy 2 = x × y × y and 2x = x × 2.
(b) The highest common factor is 2x with
2xy = 2x × y and 4x2 = 2x × 2x.
(c) The highest common factor is 3y with
12x2 y = 3y × 4x2 and 9y 2 z = 3y × 3yz.