Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics Core and Extended CD-ROM

Core questions: 1 – 9
Extended questions: 10 – 13

Extended revision exercises: Algebra

Worksheet 2: Making sense of algebra

1 Shamiel has 6 pieces of rope labelled a–e. The first piece, a, is x metres long.
Write an expression in x to describe the length of the other pieces using the following information:
(a) b is 6 m shorter than a
(b) c is half as long as a
(c) d is 2.5 m longer than a
(d) e is a third of the length of a
(e) f is twice as long as a

2 Simplify.
(a) 4a  2a  6b (b) 4 x  8 y
x 2x
(c)  (d) 2 x 2 y  6 xy  xy 2  2 xy  y 2 x
3 3
12 xy 2 21z 2
(e)  (f) 8x  2 y  3x  7 y
7z 4 xy
12 x 25 x 3
(g) (h)
10 50 x 2 y 2

3 Given that a  2 , b  5 and c  8 , find the value of:

(a) 3  a  b  (b) a 2b (c) 2a  b (d) ab  bc

c a c
(e) c 2  c (f) a  (g)  (h) ab2  a 2b
a 2 4
a a 2a  c
(i) c  3a (j) ab  c (k)  (l)
c 2b b
ca 1
(m) (n) a 3bc (o) 3
c
cb 2

4 Expand and simplify.

(a) 4  x  3 (b) 5( x  2) (c) 2 x( x  4)

(d) 3x( x  2) (e) 7 x( x  y) (f) 3( x  5)  7

(g) 4( x  2)  2 x (h) 4( x  y)  2 x (i) 4( x  3)  2( x  7)

(j) 4 x( x  2)  y(2 y  3) (k) 6( x  7)  3(2  x) (l) 3x( x 2  5)  2 x 2 (2 x  4)

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 Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics Core and Extended CD-ROM

5 Write each of the following as a product of prime numbers.

(a) 52 (b) 26 (c) 36 (d) 144

(e) 32 (f) 81 (g) 1024 (h) 2450

6 Explain why it is not possible to write the number 41 as a product of prime numbers.

7 Simplify.

(a) x8  x 2 (b) y 6  y 2 (c) x 

2 3

(d) x  5 3
(e) x 0  2 (f) x 0  y 0

x10
 
4
(g) 12
(h) 2 x 2 (i) 6 x 2  4 xy 2
x

   4x 
3 3 3
(j) 2x 2 y 2  xy 2 (k) 2x 2 (l)

120 x 4 12 x 2 y 2
 4x 
4 3
(m) (n) (o)
5x 9 x3 y 3

x   2x 
-2 -2
(p) 2a -1 (q) -2
(r)

   xy z 
-1 -2
(s) 2 x 2 y (t) 2

8 Find the error in each of these simplifications and rewrite each one correctly.
(a) 4( x  3)  4 x  3
(b) 4( x  2)  2( x  4)  6 x  4
(c) 3( x  2)  5( x  1)  8 x  5
(d) 2( x  3)  3( x  4)  6 x  18

9 A school tuckshop sells w bottles of water and c bottles of cool drink each day for d days.
Explain in your own words what each of these expression means.
(a) ( w  c)
(b) ( w  c)
(c) (c  w)
(d) dw
(e) d ( w  c)
(f) d ( w  c)  8w

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 Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics Core and Extended CD-ROM

10 Evaluate:
1 2 5 1

(a) 9 3 (b) 415 (c) 4 3 (d) 216 3 (e) 2560.5

11 Simplify.
1 2
1 1 1 2
 x2 3  x2  5
(a) x 2  x 2 (b) x 5  x 3 (c)  9  (d)  3 
x  y 

2y 
1 3

 3x 
-1 2
6x 3
1 5 1 2

(e) 5
(f) 1
 2x2 (g) 1
 3
(h)
 2 xy
3 2 2 2
9x 2x 8x 4x

12 Solve for x .
3

1
2
 1 2
1
(a) 216 x  6 (b) 2 x1  (c) x 3  9 (d)  x 3  
8   2

13 Solve each of the following equations for x.

(a) (2(2x + 1))3 = 64

1
(b) (2(2x + 1))4 =
2

14 Find an equation connecting x and y when each of the following is true.

CLUE: think about how each number in any given question can be written as a power.

1 3
(a) 4x  64 y (b) 3x  (c) 27 x 
3x 9 x3

1
(d) 16  ( 4)
y3 3 x
(e) 2  2  4  8 y
x x 3
(f) (2x ) x  (2 y ) y

CLUE: remember that if p = –2 then (–2)2 = 4.

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