Algebra & Trigonometry:

 solve for the unknown, introduction to algebra (natural numbers, irrational numbers, etc.)
 inequalities
 simultaneous equations
 graphing y = x and graphs that are of the form y=mx+c (slope-intercept form)
 indices and the basic rules of algebra
 radicals, surds, and conjugates
 manipulating algebraic expressions (for example, rearrange to form an expression for x)
 quadratics
 graphing quadratics
 simultaneous equations, one quadratic one linear
 factorizing quadratic equations and expanding them
 completing the square
 using the quadratic formula to find the x-intercepts
 find the vertex (minimum or maximum) of a quadratic graph using the formula of the line of
symmetry
 cubics, hyperbolas (reciprocal graphs), and other types of graphs
 function notation and definition, f(x)(input -> some value -> output)
 composite functions
 inverse functions
 graphical transformations
 introduction to trigonometry (pythagorean theorem)
 use first three trigonometric ratios (sinx, cosx, tanx) to find missing sides and angles
 angles between 0 degrees to 90 degrees
 the general definition of angles
 graphs of trig functions/ratios
 inverse trig ratios and their graphs
 trigonometric equations (e.g. sinx = 0.6)
 trigonometric identities (e.g. tanx == sinx/cosx)

Coordinate geometry:

 finding the distance between two points and the midpoint

 finding the equation of a line, its tangent, and normal
 the equation of a circle

Series:

 using Pascal's triangle to expand (a+b)^n

 binomial expansion and the binomial theorem
 arithmetic and geometric progressions and their sums (the nth term)
 infinite geometric series
 arithmetic (and possibly geometric) progressions of trigonometric ratios
Algebra 2:

 the modulus function

 graphs of y = |f(x)| where f(x) is linear
 solving modulus inequalities
 division of polynomials/quadratics
 the factor theorem
 the remainder theorem
 logarithms to base 10
 logarithms to base a
 the laws of logarithms
 solving logarithmic equations
 solving exponential equations involving logarithms
 introduction to e (euler's number, e = 2.718...)
 natural logarithms

Calculus:

 definition of derivatives and differentiation

 the chain rule
 tangents and normals
 second derivatives
 increasing and decreasing functions
 stationary points
 practical maximum and minimum problems
 rates of change
 related rates of change
 definition of the integral (the antiderivative)
 finding the constant of integration
 integration of expressions in the form of (ax+b)^n
 definite integration
 area under a curve or by a curve and a line or by a curve and another curve
 improper integrals
 volume of revolution
Introduction to 𝑨𝒍𝒈𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒂
What is algebra? Algebra is defined as the mathematical study of the
“unknown.” Or in other words, algebra is the part of mathematics in
which letters and other general symbols are used to represent numbers
and quantities in formuale or equations (according to Google).
Now, let’s define the types of numbers that appear everywhere in
everyday life. We have different types of numbers based on their
properties. They are:
 In the set of natural or counting numbers (ℕ) there are no
negatives and no zero (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, …)
 In the set of integers (ℤ) there are no part or fractional values.
(e.g. …, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, …)
 In the set of rational numbers (ℚ) there are no irrational quantities
such as 𝜋 (e.g. -0.065, 0.5, 2.5, 3.2, …) That is, no numbers in the set
of rational numbers have a repeated decimal but are instead a fixed
value.
 In the set of real numbers (ℝ) there are no numbers that when
squared result in a negative value. The set of real numbers include
every number from the list, including other special types of
numbers known as palindromic numbers (i.e., 121, 22, 11, 2, …).
1.1 Solving for the Unknown
In primary school, you might have used shapes to represent unknown
numbers. For example, + 2 = 7. But in algebra, you use letters to
represent unknown numbers. So you could write the above as 𝑥 + 2 = 7,
where 𝑥 is a variable to be found. But you could represent the unknown
as any letter from the alphabet, like a, b, or c, not just x. You can solve an
equation by finding the values that make the equation true.
When you worked with triangles in the past, you used the formula:
𝑏ℎ
𝐴= to calculate the area of a triangle, where 𝑏 = 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒 and
2
ℎ = ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡.
Notice that when letters are close to each other or multiplied to each
other, we write them as 𝑏ℎ rather than 𝑏 × ℎ.
To use a formula, you need to replace all the of the letters (variables)
with numbers, if given by the question. For example: Calculate the area
of a triangle if 𝑏 = 3𝑐𝑚 and ℎ = 8𝑐𝑚.
𝑏ℎ
Using the formula for the area of a triangle, 𝐴= , 𝐴 = 3×8 = 12𝑐𝑚2 .
2 2

This method is called substition. An algebraic expression is a group of

number and letters linked by operation signs (i.e., +, −, ×, … ). Each part
of the expression is called a term.
Suppose the average height (in centimetres) of students in your class is
an unknown number, ℎ. A student who is 10 cm taller than the average
would have a height of ℎ + 10. A student who is 3 cm shorter than the
average would have a height of ℎ − 3. h + 10 and h − 3 are algebraic
expressions. Because the unknown value is represented by h, we say
these are expressions in terms of h.
Algebraic Rules
In algebra, we must write terms in the shortest, simplest way possible:
 2 × ℎ is written as 2ℎ and 𝑥 × 𝑦 is written as 𝑥𝑦
 ℎ means 1ℎ, but you don’t write the 1
ℎ 𝑥
 ℎ ÷ 2 is written as and 𝑥 ÷ 𝑦 is written as
2 𝑦
 when you have a product of a number and a variable, for example,
2 and ℎ, you write it as 2ℎ and not ℎ2. Variables are written in
alphabetical order, so 𝑥𝑦 and 2𝑎𝑏, rather than 𝑦𝑥 and 2𝑏𝑎
 ℎ × ℎ is written as ℎ2 and ℎ × ℎ × ℎ is written as ℎ3 . The 2 and 3 are
examples of a power or index.
 The power only applies to the number or variable before it, so 5𝑎 2
means 5 × 𝑎 × 𝑎.
 When a power is outside a bracket, it applies to everything inside
the bracket. For example, (𝑥𝑦)4 = 𝑥𝑦 × 𝑥𝑦 × 𝑥𝑦 × 𝑥𝑦.
Now that you are more familiar with the rules of algebra, we’ll now be
moving on to rearranging algebraic equations to isolate a variable in
order to achieve a numerical value or a value that isn’t numerical.
Consider the equation 3𝑥 + 5 = 17. How do we find 𝑥 in this case?
 Step 1: Minus 5 on both sides to isolate 3𝑥:
3𝑥 + 5 − 5 = 17 − 5
 Step 2: Divide both sides by 3 in order to achieve the value of x:
3𝑥 12
=
3 3
Therefore, we see that 𝑥 = 4. To check your answer, substitute
𝑥 = 4 into the original equation: 3(4) + 5 = 17. Therefore, we say
that our answer is mathematically correct.
But what about rewriting expressions in their simplest form?
Given (a) 6 × 𝑦 × 𝑦 and (b) 7 × 𝑎 × 𝑏, we have:
(𝑎) 6 × 𝑦 × 𝑦 = 6𝑦 2. Likewise, (b) 7 × 𝑎 × 𝑏 = 7𝑎𝑏.
Working with Brackets
When an expression has brackets, you normally would have to remove
the brackets before you can simplify the expression (i.e., adding the
variables and numbers together). Removing the brackets is called
expanding the expression.
To remove the brackets, you must multiply each and every term
inside the brackets by the term(s) outside the brackets. Pay attention to
the signs in front of the terms when you do this:
𝑥(𝑦 + 𝑧) = 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑥𝑧
and,
𝑥(𝑦 − 𝑧) = 𝑥𝑦 − 𝑥𝑧
Here’s an example: Given that (a) 2(2𝑥 + 6) and (b) 𝑥𝑦(2 − 3𝑥), remove
the brackets to simplify the expressions.
(a)

(b)

From the worked examples shown above, we multiplied the variables

within the brackets with the variables or numbers outside the bracket.
Once doing that, we simplify the equation by combining like-terms
(adding numbers, terms, and variables with each other).
Laws of Indices
When you have written a number using indices (powers), you have
written it in index notation (e.g. 𝑥 2 or 53 ). Any number can be used as an
index including 0, negative integers, and fractions. The index (or power)
tells us how many times the base is multiplied by itself.
For the case of 25 , 2 is the base and 5 is the index. So:
2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 25
And also, for variables:
𝑦 × 𝑦 × 𝑦 × 𝑦 = 𝑦4
The laws of indices are very important in algebra because of how fast
you’d be able to simplify expressions. You will use this law over and over
again as you learn more algebra, so it is important you understand them.
Look at these two multiplications:
32 × 35 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑥 4 × 𝑥 3
In the first multiplication, 3 is the base number and in the second, 𝑥 is the
base number. You can simplify the expressions by expanding it like this:
3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 = 37
𝑥 × 𝑥 × 𝑥 × 𝑥 × 𝑥 × 𝑥 × 𝑥 = 𝑥7
Therefore, 32 × 35 = 32+5 = 37 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑥 4 × 𝑥 3 = 𝑥 4+3 = 𝑥 7.
This gives you the law of indices for multiplication:
When you multiply index expressions with the same base, you can add
the indices: 𝑎 𝑚 × 𝑎 𝑛 = 𝑎 𝑚+𝑛

The same rule applies inversely to numbers that are divided by other
numbers with the same base but different index.
Look at these two divisions:
34 ÷ 32 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑥 6 ÷ 𝑥 2
You can write these out in expanded form and cancel them out like this:

In other words, 34 ÷ 32 = 34−2 = 32 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑥 6 ÷ 𝑥 2 = 𝑥 6−2 = 𝑥 4

This gives you the law of indices for division:
When you divide index expressions with the same base, you can subtract
𝑥𝑚
the indices: 𝑥 𝑚 ÷ 𝑥 𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚−𝑛 𝑜𝑟 = 𝑥 𝑚−𝑛
𝑥𝑛

You should remember that any number divided by itself gives 1. So,
3 𝑥4
consider: = 1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 = 1 as well. But why is that?
3 𝑥4

𝑥4
4
= 𝑥 4−4 = 1
𝑥
This gives you the law for the power of 0:
When any number or variable is raised to the power of 0, the answer is
always 1. So, 𝑥 0 = 1.
Look at these two examples:
(𝑥 3 )2 = 𝑥 3 × 𝑥 3 = 𝑥 9
(2𝑥 3 )4 = 2𝑥 3 × 2𝑥 3 × 2𝑥 3 × 2𝑥 3 = 24 × 𝑥 3+3+3+3 = 16𝑥 12
If we write the examples in expanded form, we can see that (𝑥 3 )2 = 𝑥 9
and (2𝑥 4 )4 = 16𝑥 12. This gives us the law of raising a power to another:
When you raise a power to another, you multiply the indices:
(𝑥 𝑚 )𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚𝑛
But what about when the index number is negative? What then? Look at
the two methods of working out 𝑥 3 ÷ 𝑥 5 below:

1
This shows that = 𝑥 −2 . And this gives you a rule for working with
𝑥2
negative indices:
1
𝑥 −𝑚 = (𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑥 ≠ 0)
𝑥𝑚
When an expression contains negative indices, you apply the same laws
as for other indices to simplify it.
Here are a few examples to help you out:
Find the value of:
(a) 4−2 (b) 5−1
1 1
For (a), we use the law of negative indices: 4−2 = =
42 16
1
Likewise, (b) 5−1 =
5

Summary of Index Laws

 𝑥 𝑚 × 𝑥 𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚+𝑛
 𝑥 𝑚 ÷ 𝑥 𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚−𝑛
 (𝑥 𝑚 )𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚𝑛
 𝑥0 = 1
1
 𝑥 −𝑚 = 𝑚 (𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑥 ≠ 0)
𝑥
The laws of indices also apply to index numbers that are fractions. Take a
look at these following examples to know how to apply the rule:
1 1 1 1
 𝑥 2 × 𝑥 2 = 𝑥 2+2 = 𝑥 1 = 𝑥
1
In order to understand what 𝑥 is, ask yourself this: what number
2

multiplied by itself gives 𝑥?

 √𝑥 × √𝑥 = 𝑥
1
Therefore, 𝑥 2 = √𝑥
1 1 1 1 1 1
 𝑦 3 × 𝑦 3 × 𝑦 3 = 𝑦 3+3+3 = 𝑦
What number multiplied by itself and itself again would give 𝑦?
 3√𝑦 × 3√𝑦 × 3√𝑦 = 𝑦
1
Therefore, 𝑦 3 = 3√𝑦
This shows that any root of a number can be written using fractional
1
indices. So, 𝑥 𝑚 = 𝑚√𝑥
Sometimes you may have to work with indices that are non-unit
fractions (a fraction whose numerator isn’t 1). For example,
2
 𝑥 3
3
 𝑦4
To find the rule working with these, you have to think back to the law of
raising a power to another power. Look at these examples to see how
this works:
2 1 2 2 1 2
 𝑥 = (𝑥 ) = ( 3√𝑥 ) →
3 3 × 2 𝑖𝑠
3 3
3 1 3 3 1 3
 𝑦 4 = (𝑦 4 ) = ( 4√𝑦) → × 3 𝑖𝑠
4 4
𝑚 1 1 𝑚 𝑚
In general terms: 𝑥 𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚×𝑛 = (𝑥 𝑛 ) = ( 𝑛√𝑥 )
1.2 Linear Inequalities
Suppose you are told that 𝑥 < 4. This must mean that each possible value
of 𝑥 must be less than 4. Therefore, 𝑥 can be 3, 2, 1, 0, −1, −2, …
But that isn’t all. 𝑥 can also be irrational numbers or rational numbers
that are less than 4 like 𝜋 or 3.28. A number that tends to 4, like 3.999…
also counts as less than 4.
If you draw a number line, you can use an arrow to represent the set of
numbers (from −∞ to 4):

Notice that the open circle above 4 is not filled in. This symbol is used
because it is not possible for 𝑥 to be equal to 4 but only less than 4.
Now suppose that 𝑥 ≥ −2. This tells you that 𝑥 is greater than or equal to
-2. You can show that 𝑥 can be equal to -2 by filling in the circle above -2
on the number line:

Algebraic Inequalities
Consider the inequality: 3𝑥 > 6. If 𝑥 = 2, then 6 > 6. This doesn’t quite
work, however. Any value above 2 would work, however.
In the same way you could divide both sides in an equation by 3, both
sides of the inequality can be divided by 3 to get the solution:
3𝑥 > 6
3𝑥 6
>
3 3
𝑥>2
Notice that this is a range of values for 𝑥 rather a single value. Any value
greater than 2 works and satisfies the above equation. In fact, you can
solve any linear inequality the same way you would solve a regular
algebraic equation like 3𝑥 + 1 = 2. Most importantly, you should
remember that what you do to one side of the inequality, you must do to
the other.
Let’s work out some examples:
(a) 3𝑥 − 4 < 14 (b) 4(𝑥 − 7) ≥ 16 (c) 5𝑥 − 3 ≤ 2𝑥 + 18
For (a),
 3𝑥 − 4 < 14
 3𝑥 < 18 ← Add 4 on both sides
 𝑥<6 ← Divide both sides by 3
For (b),
 4(𝑥 − 7) ≥ 16
 4𝑥 − 28 ≥ 16 ← Expand the expression
 4𝑥 ≥ 44 ← Add 28 on both sides
 𝑥 ≥ 11 ← Divide both sides by 4 to get your answer
For (c),
