MODULE 1

ALGEBRA (PART 1)
Introduction:
This module will give you the introduction in Algebra, covering the following topics:
1. Historical Timeline
2. The Number System
3. Properties of Real Numbers
4. Laws of Exponents/Radicals
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. Be familiarized with terms used in Algebra;
2. Be familiarized with the Number System;
3. Memorize different properties of real numbers, exponents, and radicals
Discussion:
1. HISTORICAL TIME LINE
 Taken from the Arabic word “al-jabr” which means restoration
 Algebra came from the title of Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmis’ (Arab Mathematician)
greatest work, “Al-jbar wa’l muqabalah”
 “Al-jbar wa’l muqabalah” – partly influenced by his predecessors - the Hindus and the Greeks
DEFINITION:
 Science of “restoration,” “completion,” “reduction,” or “balancing”
 Balancing refers to transposing the numbers on either side of the equal sign, adding the same
quantity of either side, subtracting it, multiplying or dividing.
MODERN DEFINITION:
 Branch of mathematics which deals with the study of formal manipulations of equations
involving symbols and numbers
 Branch of mathematics in which symbols (usually letters) represent unknown numbers in
mathematical equations. One of the earliest mathematical concepts was to represent a number
by a symbol and to represent rules for manipulating numbers in symbolic form as equations

DYSMEEma113 - RCRivero |ALGEBRA (PART 1) 1

NUMBERS AND ITS CLASSIFICATION
NUMBER
 An entity describing the quantity or position of a mathematical object or extension of these
concepts. In general, numbers can be classified as either cardinal or ordinal.
 An item that describes a magnitude or a position
A. Cardinal Numbers
 The size or quantity of the collections of any objects.
 In Physics, these are used to describe the magnitude of any physically measurable quantity.
Examples: 1, 2, 3 up to infinity
B. Ordinal Numbers
 Refers to position relative to an ordering
 State the position of the individual objects in a sequence
Examples: First, Second, Third...
NUMERALS
 Symbols, or combination of symbols which describe a number
A. Ancient Greek Numerals
A.1 Earlier of these were based on the initial letters of the names of the numbers
Examples:
5 = letter pi
10 = letter delta
100 = letter H
1000 = letter chi
10, 000 = letter mu

A.2 Later system which was introduced at around 3rd Century B.C., employed all the letters of
the Greek alphabet plus three letters borrowed from the Phoenician alphabet as number
symbols.
a. First nine letters of the alphabet were used for numbers 1 to 9
b. The second nine letters for the tens from 10 to 90
c. The last nine letters for the hundreds from 100 – 900

DYSMEEma113 - RCRivero |ALGEBRA (PART 1) 2

B. The Roman Numerals
The system of number symbols created by the Romans written in Latin alphabet has the merit of
expressing all numbers from 1 to 1,000,000 with a total of seven symbols:
I 1
V 5
X 10
L 50
C 100
D 500
M 1000

Example: MCMXCIV = 1000 + 900 + 90 + 4 = 1994

The Romans used the following to indicate large numbers:
1. Bracket – to multiply it by 100 times
Example: |V| = 500
2. Vinculum (bar above the number) – to multiply the number 1000 times.
Example: 𝑉̅ = 5,000
3. Doorframe – to multiply the number by 1,000,000 times
Example: | 𝑉̅| = 5,000,000
C. Arabic Numerals
 The commonly used number notation in most parts of the world.
 The Hindus were the first to develop the system and was used in India in the 3rd century BC
 The Hindu Numeral System was probably introduced into the Arabs 7th or 8th Century AD and
was modified and called Hindu-Arabic Numerals (Hindu-Arabic Numerals – first recorded use of
the system was in 976 AD in Europe)
Examples: 0, 1, 2, 3, 12, 13, 14...

DYSMEEma113 - RCRivero |ALGEBRA (PART 1) 3

THE NUMBER SYSTEM
It is a tree-diagram showing the classification of numbers

Complex
Number

Real Imaginary
Number Number

Irrational Rational
Numbers Numbers

Non -
Integers
integers

Negative Positive
Zero
Numbers Numbers

Prime

Composite

COMPLEX NUMBER
 Sum of real and imaginary numbers. It is expressed in “a + bi” where a is the real part and b is
the imaginary part.
 The symbol “i” for imaginary was introduced by the Swiss Mathematician Leonhard Euler which
has the numerical equivalent of √−1.
 In Advanced Mathematics, it is more convenient to use “j” instead if “i” for it confuses us with
the current “i” in electrical circuits.

For complex numbers:

If a = 0, pure imaginary number is produced
If b = 0, real number is produced

DYSMEEma113 - RCRivero |ALGEBRA (PART 1) 4

1. REAL NUMBERS
1. 1. RATIONAL NUMBER
o Taken from the word “ratio”
o Any number that can be expressed as ratio (or quotient) of two integers “p” to “q” (or
p/q) such that “q” cannot be zero
1
Examples: , 0.25 , -5 , 0.1111....
2

Types of Fractions:
1. Simple Fraction – numerator and denominator are both integers
2. Proper Fraction – Numerator is smaller than denominator
3. Improper Fraction – Numerator is greater than denominator
4. Unit Fraction – Fraction with unity for its numerator and positive integer for its denominator
5. Simplified Fraction – numerator and denominator are integers and their greatest common factor is 1.
6. Integer Represented as Fraction – a fraction whose denominator is 1
7. Reciprocal – fraction that results from interchanging the numerator and denominator
8. Complex Fraction – fraction which numerator or denominator, or both are fractions
9. Similar Fractions – two or more simple fractions that have the same denominator
10. Zero Fraction – fraction in which the numerator ism 0.
11. Undefined Fraction – fraction with a denominator of 0
12. Indeterminate Fraction – fraction with no quantitative meaning
13. Mixed Number- combination of an integer and a proper fraction
1.1.1 INTEGERS
All the natural number, the negative of the natural number, and zero
 Negative Numbers
 Zero
 Positive Numbers
o Prime – An integer greater than 1 that is divisible only by 1 and itself
o Composite – Positive integers that have more than two positive
whole number factors
1.1.2 NON - INTEGERS
 Terminating decimals
 Infinitely repeating – convertible into fractions
DYSMEEma113 - RCRivero |ALGEBRA (PART 1) 5
 1.2 IRRATIONAL NUMBER
 Numbers that cannot be expressed into ratio of two integers. First known irrational number
is √2 .
Examples: √2, e, ∏
PROPERTIES OF REAL NUMBERS
 Rules where many of which are axioms (assumptions), and theorems (consequences of
assumptions) that are to be followed in working mathematical expressions or equations
RULES IN EQUALITY:
A. Commutative Power of Addition
a+b=b+a
B. Commutative Property of Multiplication
axb=bxa
C. Associative Property of Addition
a + (b + c) = (a + b) + c
D. Associative Property of Multiplication
a(bc)=(ab)c
E. Left Distributive Property
a ( b + c ) = ab + ac
F. Right Distributive Property
(a + b) c = ac + bc
G. Additive Identity Property
a+0=a
H. Multiplicative Identity Property
a(1) = a
I. Additive Inverse Property
a + (-a) = 0
J. Multiplicative Inverse Property
1
a( ) = 1, where a ≠ 0
𝑎

DYSMEEma113 - RCRivero |ALGEBRA (PART 1) 6

LAWS OF EXPONENT
Exponent – a number that gives the power to which a base is raised.

1. 𝑥 𝑚 • 𝑥 𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚+𝑛
𝑥𝑚
2. 𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚−𝑛
𝑥
3. (𝑥 𝑚 )𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚(𝑛)
𝑥 𝑚 𝑥𝑚
4. ( ) =
𝑦 𝑦𝑚
1
5. 𝑥 −𝑚 =
𝑥𝑚
1
𝑛
6. √𝑥 = 𝑥 𝑛

𝑚 𝑚
𝑛
7. √𝑥 𝑚 = 𝑥 𝑛 = ( 𝑛√𝑥 )
8. 𝑥 0 = 1 (𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑥 ≠ 0)
OTHER PROPERTIES OF RADICALS

Radical – refers to the symbol that indicates a root, √ .


𝑛
In the expression √𝑎,
n = Index
a = radicand
Surd – a radical expressing an irrational number

1. 𝑛√𝑥 x 𝑛√𝑦 = 𝑛√𝑥𝑦

𝑛
√𝑥 𝑛 𝑥
2. 𝑛 = √ 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦 ≠ 0
√𝑦 𝑦

𝑚
3. √ 𝑛√𝑥 = 𝑚𝑛
√𝑥
𝑛 𝑛
4. ( √𝑥 ) = 𝑥
𝑛
5. √𝑥 𝑛 = |𝑥|
If x is negative,
for n = even number, positive sign
for n = odd number, negative sign
DYSMEEma113 - RCRivero |ALGEBRA (PART 1) 7
EXAMPLES:
A. Roman Numerals
1. 286 = CCLXXXVI
CC = 200
LXXX = 80
VI = 6
2. 99 = XCIX
XC = 90 (100-10)
IX = 9 (10-1)
3. 544 = DXLIV
D = 500
XL = 40 (50-10)
IV = 4 (5-1)
B. EXPONENTS AND RADICALS

DYSMEEma113 - RCRivero |ALGEBRA (PART 1) 8

DYSMEEma113 - RCRivero |ALGEBRA (PART 1) 9
Sources:
1. Capote, Roger S. and Mandawe, Joel A. Solved Problems Mathematics and Basic Engineering Sciences
Updated Version, JAM Publisher, 2007
2. Gillesania, DIT. Engineering Mathematics Volume 1 Third Edition, Diego Inocencio Tapang Gillesania,
2014
3. Excel Academic Council. 1001 Solved Problems in Engineering Mathematics Third edition. First
Benchmark Publisher, Inc. 2008

DYSMEEma113 - RCRivero |ALGEBRA (PART 1) 10