Be the next Isaac Newton Be the next Albert Einstein

MINDOLO SECONDARY SCHOOL

MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

JETS CLUB- KITWE DISTRICT

SENIOR MATHEMATICS OLYMPIADS PRACTICE QUESTIONS, 2023

Promoting teaching and learning of STEM Mathematics in Zambia

By Mr. A. Chalwe (BSc-Maths, MEd-IT)

ATTEMPT ALL THE QUESTIONS

1. Solve the following equations

a) | |
b) | |
2. Prove that √ is an irrational number.
3. Prove that √ is an irrational number
4. Evaluate the following numerical expressions.
a)

b) ( )
5. Simplify

6. Simplify by rationalizing the denominator.

√ √

(√ √ )
Answer:
√ √
7. Change the form by rationalizing the numerator.

Answer:
√ √
8. Evaluate the following
√ √ √ √ √
9. Find the product of the two complex numbers
Answer:
10. Evaluate the following
a)

b)

Answer: b)

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 Be the next Isaac Newton Be the next Albert Einstein

11. Evaluate √

Answer: the two possible square roots of

12. Solve
Answer:
13. If 2 is subtracted from five times a certain number n, the result is 28. Find the number n.
Answer:
14. Find three consecutive integers whose sum is
Answer: the three consecutive integers whose sum is
15. There are 51 students in a certain class. The number of females is 5 less than three
times the number of males. Find the number of females and the number of males in
the class.
Answer: there are 14 males and females.

16. Solve
Answer:

17. Solve √
Answer:

18. solve √ √ √
Answer:

19. solve √
Answer:
20. The roots of the equation are . Find the values of

a)

b)

c)

d)

Answer: a) b) c) d)
21. Solve each equation
⁄ ⁄
a.
⁄ ⁄
b.
c.

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 Be the next Isaac Newton Be the next Albert Einstein

22. Solve
Answer:

23. solve

Answer: the solution set is the open interval ( 3, 2).

24. For each of the following, classify the function as even, odd, or neither even nor Odd.
a. b. c.
25. Show that the functions f and g are the inverses of each other where

26. A farmer has 120 rods of fencing and wants to enclose a rectangular plot of land that requires fencing
on only three sides because it is bounded by a river on one side. Find the length and width of
the plot that will maximize the area.

27. Find two numbers whose sum is 30, such that the sum of their squares is a minimum.
28. Show that, the parabola associated with the function has its vertex
( )
29. Express in form of . Hence otherwise, find the maximum value

30. Divide

31. Divide and express in the form

32. Use synthetic division to divide and express the answer in the form

33. Find the remainder when is divided by

34. Show that x is a factor of and find the other linear factors of the
polynomial.
35. Solve the equation of
36. Determine the nature of the asymptotes of the Graph of the rational function
37. The first three terms of the geometric sequence are 16 , 8 and 4. Find the seventh term.
38. Find the sum of the first 5 terms of the geometric sequence where the nth term is given by

39. Find the partial fraction decomposition of

40. Express in partial fractions.

41. Express as a single fraction.

42. Decompose into partial fractions.

43. In how many ways can five students be seated in a row of five seats?
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 Be the next Isaac Newton Be the next Albert Einstein

44. How many different five-card hands can be dealt from a deck of 52 playing cards?

45. Use Pascal’s triangle to expand

46. Expand ( )

47. Find the seventh term of

48. Without expanding, find the term independent of in the binomial expansion ( )
49. Expand √
50.
a) Express as partial fraction
b) Hence show that the binomial cubic approximation of is

51. Given that matrix ( ). Find

a) The minor of entry 1

b) The cofactor of entry 1
c) The cofactor of entry 6

52. Find the determinant of a matrix ( )

53. Find the ad-joint of a matrix ( )whose determinant is 45.

54. Use the Cramer’s rule to solve the system

55. Use the inverse matrix method to solve the system

56. Suppose a farmer predict an animal inflation rate of per year for the next 10 years. What will be
the cost of an animal costing K8 today after;
a. One year.
b. two years,
c. n years.
d. After 10years

57. Barium-140 has a half-life of 13 days. If there are 500 milligrams of barium initially, how many
milligrams remain after a) 26 days? b) After 100 days?
58. Suppose the number of bacteria present in a certain culture after t minutes is given by the equation
Q( t ) Q0 , where Q0 represents the initial number of bacteria. If 5000 bacteria are present after
20 minutes, how many bacteria were present initially?
59. Simplify
a.

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 Be the next Isaac Newton Be the next Albert Einstein

60.
a. Find the inverse of
b. Show that and are inverse of each other.
61.
a. Express (√ ) as a sum or difference

b. Express as a single logarithm

62. . Solve the following equations

a.
b.
c.

63. Find the equation of a straight line passing through whose gradient is .

64. Find the area of a triangle whose vertices are

65. Find the co-ordinates of the point that divides the line joining in the
ratio 2:1
a) It is done internally
b) It is done externally
66. Find the perpendicular distance between and
67. Find the Centre and the radius of the circle given by the equation

68. Find the length of the arc of a circle of radius 5.2cm, given that the arc substend an angle of 0.8
radians at the center of a circle.

69. In the diagram below, ORQ is a sector of a circle with Centre O and radius 12cm. RP is
perpendicular to OQ at P and angle POR 0.9 radians

Find
a) The perimeter of the shaded region
b) The area of the shaded region

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 Be the next Isaac Newton Be the next Albert Einstein

70. In the diagram below, ADB is a semi-circle with Centre O and radius 10cm. DC is perpendicular to
AB, where C is a mid-point of OB. The length of arc BD is
a) Find and DOC in radians
b) Find the area of the shaded part

71.
72. The diagram below shows two sectors OBC and OAD with Centre O and radians. The
radius of sector OBC is 3cm and .

a) Show that the area of the shaded region is

b) Given that the area of the shaded region is and Find OA.
73. In the diagram below, OAB is a sector of a circle with a Center O and radius 8cm. the line AC is
perpendicular to the radius OA and the line OC cuts the circle at B. angle OCA is 0.3 radians.

Calculate

a) The area of the shaded region

b) The perimeter of the shaded region.
74. Verify the following trigonometric identities
a)

b)

c)

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 Be the next Isaac Newton Be the next Albert Einstein

d)

e)

f)

g)
h) Show that

i) Verify that

j) Express in terms of

75. Differentiate from the first principle √

76. Differentiate the following
a)
b)
77. Differentiate
a)
b)
c)
d)
78. Find the derivative of
79. Find the inflection point of
80. Show that the rectangle has a maximum area for a given is a square.
81.
a) A curve has the equation . Find the value of , for which .

b) Find the equation of the normal to the curve at the point where

82.

a) Find the derivative of

b) Find the equation of the normal to the curve at (-1,3)

83.
a) Given that , find the expression for
√

b) The gradient of the curve is . Given that the curve passes through the point (4,9), find the
√

equation of the curve.

c) Given that where , find the approximate increase in y as x increases from 2 to 2.35

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 Be the next Isaac Newton Be the next Albert Einstein

84.
a) A curve has the equation
(i) Find the coordinates of the stationary points
(ii) Determine the nature of the stationary points
b) Find the coordinates of the point where the curve intersects the line , and the
gradient of the curve at that point.

85.
a) A curve has a gradient given by and passes through the point (-1,5). Find the
equation of the curve.
b) The diagram below shows a rectangular box without a lid which is made from a thin cardboard.

The total surface area is .

(i) Show that

(ii) Hence find the dimension of the box which can give the maximum volume.
86.
A closed cylinder has radius cm and height . The volume of the cylinder is

a) Find the expression of h in terms of r

b) Show that the total surface area, , of the cylinder is given by
c) Find the value of r when A has the stationary value.
d) Find the stationary value of A and determine its nature.

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 Be the next Isaac Newton Be the next Albert Einstein

87.
A curve passes through a point P, where
a) Find the equation of the tangent to the curve at point P
b) Find the equation of the normal at point P
c) Find the coordinates of the point Q, where the normal meets the curve again.
d) The volume V of a liquid in a container when the depth of the liquid is is given by
. Given that the depth is increasing at the rate of 1.5cm/s, find the rate of
increase in the volume of the liquid when .
88.
a) Given that , find the stationary values of and determine whether it is a maximum or
minimum.
b) A cuboid has the total surface area of 150 and is such that its base is a square of side
(i) Show that the height, h, of the cuboid is given by
(ii) Express the volume v of the cuboid in terms of x.
(iii) Given that x can vary, find the value of x for which V has the stationary value. Find this
value of V and determine if it is a maximum or a minimum.

89. Find
a) ∫ ∫ ∫
90. Find the definite integral ∫
91. Evaluate the indefinite integrals by substitution
a) ∫ √
√𝑥
f) ∫ 𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑠𝑒𝑐 𝑥
√ i) 𝑑𝑥
√ ∫
b) ∫ 𝑥
√
1𝑥
c) ∫ g) ∫ 𝑥
𝑑𝑥 j) ∫𝑥 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
d) ∫
√
𝑒 √𝑥
h) ∫ 𝑑𝑥
e) ∫ √𝑥

92.
93. Find the value of n if ∫
94. Evaluate ∫
95. Find p if ∫

96. Given that ∫ ( ) , find the value of

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 Be the next Isaac Newton Be the next Albert Einstein

97.
The diagram bellow shows part of the curve intersecting the curve
at A and B.

Find
a) The x coordinate of point B.
b) The area of the shaded region.
98.
The diagram below shows the a straight AB and a curve with the gradient function . The
curve intersects at A,B and C.

Find
a) The coordinated of the points A and C.
b) The area of the shaded part.

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 Be the next Isaac Newton Be the next Albert Einstein

99.
The diagram below shows the curves intersecting at O and A.

Find
a) The coordinate of A
b) The area of the shaded region

100.
The diagram below shows part of the curve intersecting with the line at (0,0) and A.

Find
a) The coordinate of A and the in terms of P.
b) The value of p for which the area of the shaded region is 36 square units.

101.
The diagram below shows part of the curve . And the line meeting at the points O and A.

Find
a) The coordinates of A
b) The volume obtained by rotating the shaded region through about the x-axis.
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 Be the next Isaac Newton Be the next Albert Einstein

102.
The diagram below shows part of the curve and the line intersecting at A and B.

a) Find the coordinate of A and B

b) Calculate the volume generated when the shaded region is rotated through about x-axis.

103.
The diagram below shows part of the curve which has a minimum point at M. The line
intersects the curve at A and B.

a) Find the coordinates of A,B and M.

b) Find the volume obtained when the shaded region is rotated about x-axis.

THE END
We LEARN Mathematics by doing, not by watching. So let’S do it

Page 12 of 12 By Mr. A. Chalwe (BSc-Maths, MEd-IT) 0973268947 MSS/2023