ATF Worksheet 2

Exponents and Radicals & Algebraic Expressions

Work on all of the following problems with your neighbors and classmates.

1. Simplify each of the following so that there are no exponents.

 −2
(a) 25 (c) (−4)2 (e) (−17)0 3
(g)
7
 3  0
1 2
(b) (d) −42 (f) (h) (−4)−3
3 5

2. Simplify each of the following so that there are no negative exponents, each variable only appears
once, and real number parts appear without exponents.
 y 3 3
(a) y 5 y 3 (d) b2 b−5 (g) (j) (3a4 b−2 ) (a2 b−1 )
2
 3 −2 −2
−2 4 xy
(b) x 3
(e) (y ) (h) (3b2 )
3
(k)
x−3 y 2
 −1 −3
x9 5 −2 −4 5 2a b
(c) 5 (f) (2x) (i) w w w (l)
x a2 b−3

3. Simplify each of the following so that there are no negative or fractional exponents and so that
variables and real number parts appear without exponents or factored out roots.
√ p3
√
2

(a) 3 −125 (f) 64x6 (k) 3a3/4 5a1/2

√
−3/5
(b) 4 16 (g) 642/3 (l) x−5 y 1/3

√ −1/4
x8 y −4

5
(c) 32x10 (h) (−27)1/3 (m)
16y 4/3
 3/2 √
3
p 25 8x2
(d) 3
27x3 y 6 (i) (n) √
64 x
√
4
√
4
p p
(e) ab2 · 256a3 b3 (j) x4/5 · x6/5 (o) 5 x3 y 2 · 10 x4 y 16
 Prof. Sanfratello - ATF - Spring 2024 - Worksheet 2

4. Simplify each root first, then add or subtract.

√ √ √ √ p p
(a) 125 + 45 (b) x3 − 16x (c) 4 18xy 3 − 5 32x3 y 5

5. Determine whether the expressions below are polynomials. If not, state why not. If it is, state the
degree of the polynomial and list out each term.
1 √
(a) x4 + 3x2 − 4 (c) 3x2 − 4 x + 7x
2
3
(b) 5x7 + 3x2 − 4x−2 (d) − 3x + πx2 − 10x5
4

6. Add or subtract the following polynomials.

(a) (3x3 + 5x2 − 7x + 1) + (5x3 + 2x − 2) (c) (10x4 − 7x3 − x + 3) + (−8x3 + 2x2 − 3x − 8)

(b) (7x3 − 2x2 + x + 10) − (2x3 + 5x2 − 2x − 5) (d) (x2 − 4x + 1) − (−3x2 − x + 1)

7. Multiply the following.

(a) 2t(3t3 − 5t2 − t + 2) (d) (3x − 5y)(4x − y)

(b) −3x2 (−3x2 + 2x − 1) (e) (2x + 3y)(2x − 3y)

(c) (2x + 3)(3x2 − 2x + 1) (f) (4y + 5)2

8. Factor the following completely.

(a) 15x3 − 3x (g) x2 + 7x + 10

(b) 4x2 y − 12xy + 2xy 2 (h) −5y 2 + 5y 3 − 30y

(c) −70a5 + 14a3 − 28a (i) 15z 2 − 2z − 8

(d) 12x3 − 3x2 + 20x − 5 (j) 16x4 − 625

(e) 6x4 − 2x3 + 12x2 − 4x (k) −8x2 + 50z 2

(f) 2y 3 + 4y 2 − 5y − 10 (l) 81y 4 − 16p8

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 Prof. Sanfratello - ATF - Spring 2024 - Worksheet 2

What I would do: The exercises that follow may be a lot of work, but they are what Professor
Sanfratello would recommend to anyone that is looking to become an expert at the material. In
many ways, it’s what mathematicians think and do all the time.

9. Work through the following in order.

(a) Multiply each of the following.

i. (x + 1)(x − 5) vi. (x + 1)(x + 1)

ii. (x + 1)(x − 4) vii. (x + 1)(x + 2)

iii. (x + 1)(x − 3) viii. (x + 1)(x + 3)

iv. (x + 1)(x − 2) ix. (x + 1)(x + 4)

v. (x + 1)(x − 1) x. (x + 1)(x + 5)

(b) What patterns do you notice in the 10 results that you get for each multiplication? Explain
these patterns to someone else who is not in this math class.
(c) What happens when you replace the x’s with 10’s? What products do you get? Can you
relate this to the polynomials you got in part (a)?
(d) What happens when you replace the x’s with other numbers? what patterns do you get?
Can you relate this to the polynomials you got in part (a)?
(e) Repeat parts (a) through (d) but replace the (x + 1) polynomials with (x + 2).
(f) Repeat part (e) but replace the (x + 1) polynomials with (x + 3), (x + 4), (x − 1) and any
other values until you are satisfied that you have found all of the patterns and can predict
the results for any multiplication.

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