ALGEBRA

Basic algebra can be viewed as an extension of arithmetic. The main concept that distinguishes algebra
from arithmetic is that of a variable, which is a letter that represents a quantity whose value is unknown.
The letters x and y are often used as variables, although any letter can be used. Variables enable you to
present a word problem in terms of unknown quantities by using algebraic expressions, equations,
inequalities, and functions. This section reviews these algebraic tools and then progresses to several
examples of applying them to solve real-life word problems. The section ends with coordinate geometry
and graphs of functions as other important algebraic tools for solving problems.

2.1 Operations with Algebraic Expressions

An algebraic expression has one or more variables and can be written as a single term or as a sum of
terms. Here are some examples of algebraic expressions.

1 8
2x y- w3 z + 5 z 2 - z 2 + 6
4 n+ p

1
In the examples above, 2 x is a single term, y - has two terms, w3 z + 5 z 2 - z 2 + 6 has four terms,
4
8
and has one term. In the expression w3 z + 5 z 2 - z 2 + 6, the terms 5 z 2 and - z 2 are called like
n+ p
terms because they have the same variables, and the corresponding variables have the same exponents. A
term that has no variable is called a constant term. A number that is multiplied by variables is called the
coefficient of a term. For example, in the expression 2 x 2 + 7 x - 5, 2 is the coefficient of the term 2 x 2 , 7
is the coefficient of the term 7 x, and -5 is a constant term.

The same rules that govern operations with numbers apply to operations with algebraic expressions. One
additional rule, which helps in simplifying algebraic expressions, is that like terms can be combined by
simply adding their coefficients, as the following examples show.

2x + 5x = 7 x

w3 z + 5 z 2 - z 2 + 6 = w3 z + 4 z 2 + 6

3xy + 2 x - xy - 3 x = 2 xy - x

A number or variable that is a factor of each term in an algebraic expression can be factored out, as the
following examples show.

4 x + 12 = 4 ( x + 3)

15 y 2 - 9 y = 3 y (5 y - 3)

7 x 2 + 14 x 7 x ( x + 2) 7 x
= = (where x π -2, since division by 0 is not defined)
2x + 4 2 ( x + 2) 2

Algebra - 17 -
To multiply two algebraic expressions, each term of the first expression is multiplied by each term of the
second expression, and the results are added, as the following examples show.

( x + 2)(3x - 7 ) = x (3x ) + x ( -7 ) + 2 (3x ) + 2 ( -7 )

= 3 x 2 - 7 x + 6 x - 14

= 3 x 2 - x - 14

A statement of equality between two algebraic expressions that is true for all possible values of the
variables involved is called an identity. All of the preceding equality statements in this section are
identities. Here are some standard identities that are useful.

(a + b) 2 = a 2 + 2ab + b 2

(a - b)3 = a3 - 3a 2b + 3ab 2 - b3

a 2 - b 2 = (a + b)(a - b)

All of the identities above can be used to modify and simplify algebraic expressions. For example, the
identity a 2 - b 2 = ( a + b )( a - b ) can be used to simplify the following algebraic expression.

x2 - 9 ( x + 3)( x - 3) x + 3
= = (where x π 3)
4 x - 12 4 ( x - 3) 4

A statement of equality between two algebraic expressions that is true for only certain values of the
variables involved is called an equation. The values are called the solutions of the equation.

The following are examples of some basic types of equations.

3 x + 5 = -2 A linear equation in one variable, x

2.2 Rules of Exponents

In the algebraic expression x a , where x is raised to the power a, x is called the base and a is called the
exponent. For some equations involving bases and exponents, the following property is very useful:

If x a = xb , then a = b. This is true for all positive numbers x, except x = 1, and for all integers a and b.
For example, if 2 y = 64, then since 64 is 26 , you have 2 y = 26 , and you can conclude that y = 6.

Here are the basic rules of exponents, where the bases x and y are nonzero real numbers and the
exponents a and b are integers.

Algebra - 18 -
 1
1. x-a =
xa

1 1 1 1
Examples: 4 -3 = 3
= , x -10 = 10 , and - a = 2a
4 64 x 2

2. ( xa )( xb ) = xa + b
( )( )
Examples: 32 34 = 32 + 4 = 36 = 729 and y 3 y -1 = y 2 ( )( )
xa 1
3. b
= xa -b = b - a
x x

57 t3 1
Examples: 4
= 57 - 4 = 53 = 125 and 8 = t -5 = 5
5 t t

4. x0 = 1

Examples: 70 = 1 and ( -3)0 = 1. Note that 00 is not defined.

5. ( xa )( y a ) = ( xy )a
( )( )
Examples: 23 33 = 63 = 216 and (10 z )3 = 103 z 3 = 1,000 z 3

a
a
6. Ê xˆ = x
Ë y¯ ya

() ( )
2 3
3 32 9 r r3
Examples: = 2
= and =
4 4 1 6 4t 64t 3

( xa )
b
7. = x ab

( ) ( ) = (32 )( y6 )
2 2 2
Examples: 25 = 210 = 1,024 and 3 y 6 = 9 y12

The rules above are identities that are used to simplify expressions. Sometimes algebraic expressions look
like they can be simplified in similar ways, but in fact they cannot. Here are several pairs of expressions
that are commonly mistaken to be identities.

• x a y b π ( xy )a + b
Note that the bases are not the same.

( )
b
• xa π x a xb

( ) ( )
b 3
Instead, x a = x ab and x a xb = x a + b ; for example, 42 = 46 and 42 43 = 45.

Algebra - 19 -