BUSINESS MATHEMATICS

Dr. Addial Manjonjo

21st September, 2022

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Basic Mathematics I
In this Lecture we will cover:
I The decimal system.
I Basic mathematical operations.
I Fractions

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Real numbers
Real numbers are numbers used to measure or count quantities
such money, height, temperature, age, speed e.t.c. Some examples
of real numbers are
22 5
−5, −123548, −100.234, 0, 1, , 3.3333, 5 , 7
7 6
I All real numbers greater than zero are said to be positive and
all numbers less than zero are negative.
I Negative numbers have a minus sign (−) before them e.g. −5.

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 I Positive real numbers have plus sign before them (+) e.g +5
I However, in mathematics it is common practice to ignore the
plus sign e.g +5 is written is 5.
Integers
Integers are numbers without a fractional or decimal part.
Examples of integers
· · · , −5, −4, −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, · · ·

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Whole numbers
All positive integers together with zero are called whole numbers. That is
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, · · ·
Whole numbers are used to count things.
Digits
Digits are the integers
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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I All real numbers are made up of combination of these digits.
I In the widely used decimal number system (also known as
base-10 system), the value of a digit depends on its position
within the number.
I The table below illustrate the digit position and its
corresponding value and name.
I For large numbers, digits put into groups of three, called
periods.

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 Hundreds
Tens
Trillions

Ones
Hundreds
Tens
Billions

Ones
Hundreds
Tens
Millions

Ones
Hundreds
Tens
Ones
Thousands

Hundreds
Tens
Ones

Ones
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Example
For example the numbers 5 638 365 237 can be represented in the
table below
Trillions Billions Millions Thousands Ones
Hundreds

Hundreds

Hundreds

Hundreds

Hundreds
Ones

Ones

Ones

Ones

Ones
Tens

Tens

Tens

Tens

Tens
5 6 3 8 3 6 5 2 3 7
We read this number in words as follows: Five billion six hundred
(and) thirty eight million three hundred (and) sixty five
thousand two hundred (and) thirty seven.
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Mathematical operations
There are four types of mathematical operations that can be
performed on numbers. These are
1) Multiplication (denoted by ×)
2) Division (denoted by ÷ or /)
3) Addition (denoted by +)
4) Subtraction (denoted by −)

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Addition

I The result of adding two numbers is called a sum.

I Addition has symmetry i.e. the order in which the numbers
appear does not affect the result.
I For example,
2+3=3+2

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I Two or more numbers can be added together by performing
vertical addition.
I For example
1 1

42 825
+
5307
48 132

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Subtraction

I The result obtained from subtracting two numbers is called a

difference.
I Unlike addition, subtraction does not have symmetry; the order
in which the numbers appear does affect the result.
I For example,
8−3=5 and 3 − 8 = −5

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I Thus when subtracting, reversing the order of the numbers
result in the change of sign of the answer.
I We can subtract two numbers using vertical subtraction as
follows.
42 825
−
5307
37 518

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Addition and subtraction involving a combination of signs

When performing multiple additions and subtractions, we simplify + and − signs that
follow immediately next to each other as follows
1. a (+) sign and a (+) sign immediately next to each other become a (+) sign e.g.
3 + (+8) = 3 + 8 = 11
2. a (−) sign and a (−) sign immediately next to each other become a (+) sign e.g.
3 − (−8) = 3 + 8 = 11
3. a (+) sign and a (−) sign immediately next to each other become a (−) sign e.g.
3 + (−8) = 3 − 8 = −5
Also
3 − (+8) = 3 − 8 = −5

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Example
Calculate
a) 8 + (−7)
b) 18 − (−2)
c) 12 − (+3)

Solution:
a) 8 + (−7) = 8 − 7 = 1
b) 18 − (−2) = 18 + 2 = 20
c) 12 − (+3) = 12 − 3 = 9

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Multiplication

I In addition to the symbol × there are several ways of

indicating that two numbers are being multiplied.
I For example, if we wish to multiply the number 5 and 7, then
the notations used are
a) 5 × 7 b) 5 · 7 c) (5)7 d) 5(7) e) (5)(7)

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I The result of multiplying 5 and 7 is also called the product of
5 and 7.
I An important property of multiplication is its symmetry, i.e.
reversing the order of the numbers result in the same answer.
I In our case,
5 × 7 = 7 × 5 = 35

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Multiplication involving negative numbers

1) Product of two positive numbers is positive e.g.

2.5 × 4 = 10
2) Product of two negative numbers is positive e.g.
−2 × −3 = 6
3) Product of a negative number and a positive number is
negative e.g.
−7 × 2 = −14

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Factors
Two or more nonzero whole numbers that are multiplied to get a
product are called factors

Examples of factors

5 × 3 = 15 : Therefore 3 and 5 are factors of 15

12 × 17 = 204 : Therefore 12 and 17 are factors of 204
3 × 7 × 11 × 4 = 924 : Therefore 3, 7, 11 and 4 are factors of 924

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Multiples
The multiples of a whole number are the products of that number and the numbers
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, · · ·

Example
Multiples of the number 5 are numbers obtained by multiplying 5 with another positive integer
5×1 = 5
5 × 2 = 10
5 × 3 = 15
5 × 4 = 20
..
.
Therefore multiples of 5 are
5, 10, 15, 20, 25, · · ·

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Common Multiples
A number that is a multiple of two or more numbers is called a common multiple of
those numbers

Example
Find the common multiples of 2 and 3

Solution:
Multiples of 2 are
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, · · ·
Multiples of 3 are
3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, · · ·
Therefore the common multiples of 2 and 3 are 6, 12, 18.

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Division

There are several notations used to represent division. For example

the number 15 divided by the number 5 is presented using the
following notations
15
a) 15 ÷ 5 b) 5 c) 15/5

I In this example, the number 15 is called the dividend or

numerator , and the number 5 is called the divisor or
denominator.
I The answer to the division (in this case 3) is called the
quotient.
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I Unlike in multiplication division does not have symmetry.
I For example, in our case, 15 ÷ 5 is not the same as 5 ÷ 15.
I Notice that there is no remainder left when 5 divides into 15.
I Therefore, we say 15 is divisible by 5.
I Thus, for 16 ÷ 5, we say 5 goes into 16 three times leaving a
remainder of 1.

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I I highly recommend that you go over this video on YouTube.
I It explains long division very well.
I In fact here are the videos on multiplication from the same
channel as well ( Part 1, Part 2).

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Division involving negative numbers

1) Quotient of two positive numbers is positive e.g.

34 ÷ 2 = 17
2) Quotient of two negative numbers is positive e.g.
−12 ÷ −3 = 4
3) Quotient of a negative number and a positive number is
negative e.g.
−8 ÷ 2 = −4
and
8 ÷ −2 = −4

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Order of operations
Whenever you are given a calculation with a combination of the
four operations we have learned, the order in which the operations
are performed is as follows:
1) Brackets (Also referred to as Parenthesis)
2) Order (also known as Exponents)
3) Multiplications or Divisions (whichever comes first)
4) Then Additions or Subtractions (whichever comes first)

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 I Operations inside the parentheses (or brackets) take
precedence over all other operations.
I Multiplication and division come before addition and
subtraction.
I When multiplication and division occur in the same
calculation, the operation that comes first (reading from left to
right) takes precedence.
I When addition and subtraction occur in the same calculation,
the operation that comes first (reading from left to right)
takes precedence.
I We look at the exponents part later in this unit.
.
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Example
Simplify the following using the rules on order of operations

a) 8 − 2 × 3 b) (8 − 2) × 3 c) 40 ÷ 4 × 2 + 5

Solution:
a) Looking at the order of operations we see that multiplication comes before subtraction
therefore we simplify multiplication first i.e.
8− 2×3 =8−6=2
b) In this case brackets (parenthesis) come before all operations. Therefore,
(8 − 2) × 3 = 6 × 3 = 18
c) Where there is multiplication and division but without parenthesis, we perform operations
from left to right. Subtraction is then performed last. Therefore,
40 ÷ 4 × 2 + 5 = 10 × 2 + 5 = 20 + 5 = 25
It would be wrong to say 40 ÷ 4 × 2 + 5 = 40 ÷ 8 + 5 = 5 + 5 = 10.

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Example

a) (4 + 2) ÷ 3 × (2 + 4) b) 12/2 × 5 − (5 + 10)/(7 − 4)

Solution:

a) b)
(4 + 2) ÷ 3 × (2 + 4) 12/2 × 5 − (5 + 10)/(7 − 4)
= 6÷3×6 = 12/2 × 5 − 15/3
= 2 × 6 = 12 = 6 × 5 − 15/3
= 30 − 15/3 = 30 − 5 = 25

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Fractions
A fraction is used to represent the number of equal parts of a whole.

I For example the circle above is subdivided into 8 parts. The

shaded part is just 3 of the 8 parts that make up the whole
object.
I Therefore the shaded part is 38 .

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 I The top number is called the numerator and the bottom
number is called the denominator.
I The line between the two numbers is called the division line
or fraction bar or fraction line.
I In words we can read the fraction 38 as three eighths or three
over eight.
Proper fraction
A proper fraction is one in which the numerator is less than the
denominator.

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Example
Examples of proper fractions include
1 8 6752
, ,
8 13 6753

Improper fraction
An improper fraction has the numerator greater than the denominator.

Example
Examples of improper fractions include
12 18 6753 8
, , ,
5 13 6752 1

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Mixed number
A mixed number is a number greater than 1 with a whole-number
part and a fractional part.
For example if you drink 3 cups of tea and then another half a cup
after, the number of cups you of tea you drank is three and a half
cups. This number is written as 3 21

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Converting from mixed number to an improper fraction.

I For mixed number such as 3 12 we can convert them into

improper fractions as follows
1 2×3+1 6+1 7
3 = = =
2 2 2 2
1
I In words you can read the number 3 2 as three and a half or
three and one over two.

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Converting from an improper fraction to a mixed number.

I To convert an improper fraction to a mixed number we carry

out division and check for the reminder.
I For example to convert 135 into a mixed number
2
5 13
10
3
I Clearly 5 goes into 13, 2 times leaving a remainder of 3.
I Therefore,
13 3
=2
5 5
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Multiplication of fractions

To multiply fractions, we multiply the numerators to get the new

numerator and multiply the denominators to get the new
denominator.
Example
Calculate the following
2 5 4
a) 3 × 6 b) 5 × 34 × 7
12

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 Solution:
2 5 2×5 10 5 4 4
×3×7
a) 3 × 6 = 3×6 = 18 = 9 5 × 34 × 7
12 = 5×
4×12
= 21
60 = 7
20
b)

Multiplication of fractions involving mixed numbers

To multiply fractions involving mixed numbers we first convert

mixed number to improper fractions then proceed to multiply
numerators and the multiply denominators.

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Example
Calculate the following
2 4
3 ×
3 7

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Solution:
We first convert 3 32 into an improper fraction i.e.
2 3 · 3 + 2 11
3 = =
3 3 3
Finally, we have
2 4 11 4 11 × 4 44 2
3 × = × = = =2
3 7 3 7 3×7 21 21

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Equivalent fractions
Two fractions are equivalent if they represent the same number.
Equivalent fractions represent the same portion of a whole.
3 6
For example the diagram below shows presents the fraction 5 and 10

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 I Notice the 2 fractions cover the same portion of the whole
object therefore they are equal.
I Equivalent fractions are obtained by multiplying numerator and
denominator by the same number.
Example
2
Find some of the fractions that are equivalent to 5

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Solution:
2 2 4 2 3 6 2 4 8 2 5 10
× = , × = , × = , × = ···
5 2 10 5 3 15 5 4 20 5 5 25
4 6 8
I Therefore 10 , 15 , 20 and 10
25 are all equivalent to 5 .
2

I Notice that multiplying by 22 , 33 or 44 is essentially

multiplying by 1.
I Therefore, it value of the fraction does not change.

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Simplest form
A fraction is written in simplest form or lowest terms when the
numerator and the denominator have no common factors other
than 1.
I The fraction 25 is in simplest form since 2 and 5 have no
common factors (other than 1).
I The fraction 104
is not in simplest form since 4 and 10 have a
common factor of 2.
I Unless stated otherwise, you should always leave you answer in
simplest form.

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To reduce a fraction to simplest form we find the highest common
factor and divide numerator and denominator by that factor.
Example
Write the following fraction in lowest terms( i.e in simplest form).
27 17
a) 36 b) 4 51

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Solution:
a) The GCF of 27 and 36 is 9, therefore we have,
27 3 × 9 3
= =
36 4 × 9 4
b) Mixed numbers should be expressed in simplest form as well. To do
this we need to express the fractional part in simplest form and
leave the whole number as it is. In the number 4 17 17
51 we write 51 in
simplest form.
17 1 ×  17
 1
= =
51 3 ×  17 3

Therefore, we have
17 1
4 =4
51 3

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 Addition and subtraction of fractions with the same
denominator

I To add fractions with the same denominator, add together the

two numerators to obtain the new numerator.
I The denominator remains the same.

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Example
Calculate the following
1 3 2 4 7 2
a) 8 + 8 b) 15 + 15 + 15 c) 7 + 73 − 4
7

Solution:
1 3 1+3 4 1
a) 8 + 8 = 8 = 8 = 2
2 4 7 2+4+7
b) 15 + 15 + 15 = 15 = 13
15
2 3 4 2+3−4 1
c) 7 + 7 − 7 = 7 =7

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 Addition and subtraction of fractions with the different
denominators

To add fractions that have different denominators, we follow these

steps
I Find the least common multiple of the denominators i.e. the
Least Common Denominator (LCD)
I We then express the individual fractions with the LCD as their
denominators.
I When the fractions have the same denominator, we then add
the numerators, while keeping the same denominator.
I Write the answer in simplest form.
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Example
Evaluate the following sum
1 2 5
+ +
3 9 6

Solution:
The three denominators are 3, 9 and 6.
The multiples of 3 are : 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, · · ·
The multiples of 6 are : 6, 12, 18, 24, · · ·
The multiples of 9 are : 9, 18, 24, 36, · · ·
Therefore, the LCD of 31 , 29 and 65 is 18. We now express all three fractions with a denominators of 18.
1 1×6 6 2 2×2 4 5 5 × 3 15
= = , = = , = =
3 3 × 6 18 9 9 × 2 18 6 6 × 3 18
Therefore,
1 2 5 6 4 15 6 + 4 + 15 25 7
+ + = + + = = =1
3 9 6 18 18 18 18 18 18

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Example
Evaluate the following
5 1 1
− +
16 8 12

Solution:
The three denominators are 8, 12 and 16.
The multiples of 8 are : 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, · · ·
The multiples of 12 are : 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, · · ·
The multiples of 16 are : 16, 32, 48, 64, 80, · · ·
5 1 1
Therefore, the LCD of 16 , 8 and 12 is 48. We now express all three fractions with a denominators of 48.
5 5×3 15 1 1×6 6 1 1×4 4
= = , = = , = =
16 16 × 3 48 8 8 × 6 48 12 12 × 4 48
Therefore,
5 1 1 15 6 4 15 − 6 + 4 13
− + = − + = =
16 8 12 48 48 48 48 48

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Division of fractions

I To divide one fraction by a second fraction, we invert the

second fraction, and then multiply it by the first.
I This transforms a division problem into one of multiplication.

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Example
Evaluate
1 5 5 4
a) 2 ÷ 12 b) 14 ÷ 7

Solution:

1 5 12
a) 2 ÷ = 12 × = 1×12
2×5 = 12
10 = 65
12 5
5 4 5 7 5×7
b) 14 ÷ = 14 × = 14×4 = 35
56 = 85
7 4

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Division of fractions involving mixed numbers

To divide mixed numbers we first convert the numbers to improper

fraction.
Example
Simplify the following
2 5 1
3 ÷ ÷2
3 6 5

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Solution:
Converting all the mixed numbers into improper fractions we get,
2 3 × 3 + 2 11 1 5 × 2 + 1 11
3 = = , 2 = =
3 3 3 5 5 5

Therefore we have
2 5 1 11 5 11
3 ÷ ÷2 = ÷ ÷
3 6 5 3 6 5
11 6 11
= × ÷
3 5 5
22 11
= ÷
5 5
22 5
= ×
5 11
= 2

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