Maths

2nd ESO
 UNIT 0. DIVISIBILITY
1. MULTIPLE AND DIVISOR
Multiples of a number are the numbers we get multiplying the number by any natural number.
M(2) ={2, 4, 6, 8,… }; M(3) = {3, 6, 9, 12,…}. The multiples of a number are infinite.

A number is divisor of another if the remainder of the division is zero. For example, 5 is a divisor of 15
because 15 = 5 · 3. However, 6 isn’t a divisor of 15 because 15 = 6 · 2 + 3. Here the remainder is
3. D(6) = {1, 2, 3, 6}

If a number ‘a’ is divisor of another ‘b’ then ‘b’ is multiple of ‘a’. So there is always a relation between
divisor and multiple. It is similar to the relation between a father and his son. If a is father of b then
b is son of a. For example, 5 is divisor of 15 so 15 is multiple of 5.
2. DIVISIBILITY RULES
There are some rules about divisibility. We can find out some divisors by these rules. It is a quick way
to work out some divisors of a number.

The most common and easy rules are for the numbers: 2, 3 and 5.
Divisible
If: Examples:
by:
2 The last digit is even (0,2,4,6,8) 128 is; 129 is not
381 (3+8+1=12) Yes
3 The sum of the digits is divisible by 3 217 (2+1+7=10) No
1312 is (12÷4=3); 7019 is
4 The last 2 digits are divisible by 4
Not
5 The last digit is 0 or 5 175 is; 809 is not
6 The number is divisible by both 2 and 3 114 Yes; 308 No
9 The sum of the digits is divisible by 9 1629 Yes; 2013 No
10 The number ends in 0 220 is; 221 is not
1364 ((3+4) – (1+6)
= 0) Yes
The sum of the even digits minus the sum of the odd 3729 ((7+9) – (3+2)
11 = 11) Yes
digits is either 0 or divisible by 11
25176 ((5+7) – (2+1+6)
= 3) No

3. PRIME NUMBERS AND COMPOSITE NUMBERS

A prime number is the number that has only two divisors: 1 and itself. We can’t get the number from
a product of smaller numbers. For example 2, 3, 5 are prime numbers.

A composite number is the number that has some different divisors than 1 or itself. We can get the
number from a product of smaller numbers. For example, 18 is a composite number because it is
divisible by 2. That is, 18 = 2 · 9

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4. PRIME FACTORIZATION
The prime factorization of a number is the result of putting the number as the product of the entire
prime factors for the number.
For example, 30 = 2 · 15 = 2 · 3 · 5

30 2 30 2
0 15 3 15 3
0 5 5 5 5
0 1 1

Number of divisors of a number

It is obtained by adding the unit to the exponents and multiplying the obtained results. How many
divisors does the number 30 have? Write all of them in a set.

5. HIGHEST COMMON FACTOR AND LEAST COMMON MULTIPLE

Highest common factor of several numbers is the highest common divisor of them. We represent it by
HCF.
Least common multiple of several numbers is the lowest common multiple of them. We represent it by
lcm.

CALCULATION OF HCF AND LCM

The HCF is the result of multiplying the prime common factors with the smallest exponent.
HCF (12; 8; 30) =

The lcm is the result of multiplying the entire prime factors with the highest exponent. lcm (2; 4; 10)=

According to these instructions try to calculate the HCF and the lcm for the number 90

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EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

1. Are the following numbers divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11? Answer without doing the
division.
2 3 4 5 7 6 9 10 11
924
1287
5550
8725

2. Change each letter by a digit to get a number divisible by the indicated number. Write all the
possibilities:

45a8 3
99b 2
21c40 6
4d40 9
ff2 6
1235g 11

3. Calculate all of the divisors of 120.

4. Calculate all the divisors of the following numbers:

a. 105 b. 220

5. Write the highest prime number that has two digits and explain why.
6. Is 391 a prime number? Why?
HCF and lcm

7. Calculate the HCF and the lcm of the following numbers by the factorization: 90; 168 and 30.
8. Calculate the HCF and the lcm of the following numbers by the factorization: 120; 980 and 110.
9. Calculate the HCF and lcm of the following numbers:
a = 23  32  72 11;
b = 22  34  52  7;
c = 23  33  52 13

10. Work out the greatest common factor and the least common multiple of the following numbers:
a) 72 y 16
b) 656 y 848
c) 725 y 540

11. Calculate the greatest common factor and the least common multiple of the following numbers:
a) 72, 108 y 60
b) 180, 340 y 900

12. A gear has 18 teeth and other 12 teeth. How many times does each wheel turn to get the starting position?

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13. Work out the HCF of 656 and 848 and the l.c.m. too.

14. Work out the HCF of 258 and 72 algorithm and the l.c.m. too.

15. Calculate the least common multiple and the greatest common factor of 350 and 2695.

16. Calculate the least common multiple and the greatest common factor of 1617 and 525.

17. Calculate the least common multiple and the greatest common factor of 1782 and 60984.

18. Pencils come in packages of 10. Erasers come in packages of 12. Phillip wants to buy the smallest number
of pencils and erasers so that he will have exactly 1 eraser per pencil. How many packages of pencils and
erasers should Phillip buy?

19. Kiara baked 30 oatmeal cookies and 48 chocolate chip cookies to package in plastic containers for her
teacher friends at school. She wants to divide the cookies into identical containers so that each container
has the same number of each kind of cookie. If she wants each container to have the greatest number
of cookies possible, how many plastic containers does she need?

20. Beginning at 8:30 A.M., tours of the National Capitol and the White House begin at a tour agency. Tours
for the National Capitol leave every 15 minutes. Tours for the White House leave every 20 minutes. How
often do the tours leave at the same time?

21. Two neon lights are turned on at the same time. One blinks every 4 seconds and the other blinks every
6 seconds. In 60 seconds, how many times will they blink at the same time?

22. There are 40 girls and 32 boys who want to participate in a competition. If each team must have the
same number of girls and the same number of boys, what is the greatest number of teams that can
participate in the competition? How many girls and boys will be on each team?

23. Three pigs entered a race around a track. Piggly takes 6 minutes to run one lap. Piglet takes 3 minutes
to run one lap and it takes Wiggly 5 minutes to run one lap. If all three pigs begin the race at the same
time, how many minutes will it take for all three pigs to be at the starting point again

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 UNIT 1. INTEGERS
1. INTEGERS
Integers are the natural numbers and their opposite numbers. This numerical set of numbers is
represented by the capital letter Z.

These numbers are infinite in two directions. The set has not an origin and end neither.
Z = {…, –4, –3, –2, –1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, …}

2. REPRESENTATION ON THE NUMERIC LINE

We put the negative numbers from zero to the left in the numerical line, the positive numbers from
zero to the right.

Complete the next number line writing the numbers below the point.

0 Z

Symbol Meaning Example

3. ORDER OF INTEGERS
= Equality ‘Equal to’ or equals 8/2=4
We use the following symbols to
≠ Inequality Different to 3≠4
represent order relations.
< Strict Less than –2<3
> inequality Greater than
≤ Less than or equal to
Inequality
≥ Greater than or equal to
4. ABSOLUTE VALUE
Absolute value of a number is the number without the sign. It is the distance between the number and
the zero too. E.g.; |–7| = 7; |0| = 0
Two opposite numbers have the same absolute value. |+6| = 6; |–6| = 6.

5. INTEGER OPERATIONS

Operations
The rules to operate now are the followings:
o To add a negative number is like to add the number. 5+(–3)=5–3
o To subtract a negative number is like to add. 5–(–3)=5+3
o The product or division of two negative or positive numbers is positive.
o The product or division of a negative number and a positive number is negative.

Complete the next chart according to the previous rules:

+·+=+ +5 · (+ 7) = +·–=– +5 · (– 6) =
–·+=– –9 · (+ 7) = –·–=+ –5 · (– 7) =

Order of operations
To do combine operations we have to follow the next order:
First. We do the brackets.
After. Multiplication and division
After. Addition and subtraction.
Operations with same hierarchy we do from left to right.

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 Example: (3 – 4) · 5 – 2 · (2 – 4 · 3) + 5 =

6. POWERS WITH INTEGER EXPONENTS

This is the product of a number many times by itself.
an=b, a is the base and n is the exponent. b is the result.
For 32; we can say: Three to the power of 2. Three squared. Three to the second power. Three raised to
the power 2. Three raised to the second power. Three to the second. Three to two.
For 53; we can say also five cube.

6.1. PROPERTIES OF POWERS

Product rule. Product of powers of the same base

To multiply powers of the same base you add their exponents.
𝑎𝑛 ∙ 𝑎𝑚 = 𝑎𝑚+𝑛 23 ∙ 25 = 23+5 = 28

Quotient rule. Quotient of powers of the same base

To divide powers of the same base we take away the exponents. (subtract the bottom exponent from the
top exponent)
𝑎𝑛 : 𝑎𝑚 = 𝑎𝑚−𝑛 54 : 52 = 54−2 = 52

Power of a power
When you raise a power to an exponent you multiply those exponents together.

(𝑎𝑚 )𝑛 = 𝑎𝑚∙𝑛 (72 )3 = 72∙3 = 76

Power of a product
When you have a product raised to an exponent raise each factor to that exponent.

𝑎𝑛 ∙ 𝑏 𝑛 = (𝑎 ∙ 𝑏)𝑛 33 ∙ 23 = 63

Power of a quotient (a division)

When you have a quotient raised to an exponent raise each number to that exponent.

𝑎𝑛 : 𝑏 𝑛 = (𝑎: 𝑏)𝑛 154 : 54 = (15: 5)4 = 34

Exponent 0
Any number to the power of zero is one. a0 = 1 50 = 1

6.2. POWER WITH NEGATIVE EXPONENTS

A number raised to a negative integer is equal to the inverse of the number raised to the positive
integer.

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7. SQUARE ROOT
The square root of a number ‘a’ is ‘b’ means that ‘b’ squared is ‘a’.

√𝑎 = 𝑏 means that b 2 = a ‘2’ is the index, ‘a’ is the radicand, ‘b’ is the radical.
NUMBER OF SQUARE ROOTS OF A VALUE

√0 = 0 It only has one square root.

√4 = ±2 It has two square roots.
√−4 it doesn 't exist. There is not a number whose square can be -9.
A negative number has no square roots.

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 EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

1. Calculate

a) (+12) + (– 9) + (+ 56) + (– 77) =

b) (– 43) + (+21) + (– 65) + (– 4) + (– 37) =

c) (+ 26) + (– 31) + (– 25) + (+ 13) + (– 25) + (– 17) =

2. Calculate

a) (– 4) + (– 7) = – 4 – 7 = – 11 g) + 5 + 8 =

b) (– 8) + (– 4) = h) – 6 – 32 =

c) (+ 25) + (– 9) = i) – 16 + 23 =

d) (– 43 ) + (+ 18) = j) – 21 – 15 =

e) (+ 54) + ( + 72) = k) + 31 + 19 =

f) (– 17) + (– 45) = l) 73 – 85 =

3. Calculate

a) (– 4) + (+ 8) + (– 6) = – 4 + 8 – 6 = – 2

b) (+ 5) + (– 12) + (– 4) + (+ 32) = 21

c) (– 3) + (– 23) + (– 15) + (+ 17) = – 24

d) (+ 9) + (– 14) + (+ 33) + (– 45) + (– 23) = – 40

e) 5 – 13 – 4 + 43 + 12 – 17 = 26

f) 19 – 34 + 21 – 24 + 17 = – 1

g) – 33 + 24 – 38 + 24 – 18 = – 41

h) – 12 + (– 7) – 15 + 23 + (+ 4) = – 7

i) 24 + (– 34) – 25 + (+ 32) + (– 15) = – 18

4. Calculate

a) – 5 – (– 9) + 15 + (– 13) = – 5 + 9 + 15 – 13 = – 18 + 24 = 6

b) 12 – (+ 15) + (– 8) – 32 + 14 = – 29

c) – (– 23) + 25 + (– 15) – (– 42) = 75

d) 46 + 23 – (– 31) – (+ 25) – 17 = 58

e) – 25 – (– 41) + (– 60) – 14 + 18 = – 40

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5. Calculate

a) – 6 + (– 5 + 4 – 6 ) – 3 = – 16 d) 15 – ( 8 + 12 – 1 ) + ( 13 – 2 ) = 7

b) 18 – (– 9 + 20 – 11 ) + 18 = 36 e) – ( 7 + 3 – 5 ) + ( 4 – 7) – ( -3 + 4 ) = – 9

c) – 4 + ( 8 – 3 – 5 + 2 ) – 3 + 4 = – 1 f ) (– 2 + 5 – 6 ) – 8 – (–3 + 8 – 2) = – 14

6. Calculate

a) (– 4 ) . (– 5 ) = d) (– 8 ) . 12 = g) 23  (– 12 ) =

b) (+ 6 )  (+ 4 ) = e) 20 . (– 6 ) = h) (– 34 )  8 =

c) (– 9 )  (+ 6 ) = f) (– 8 ) . (– 15 ) = i) 55  (– 8 ) =

7. Calculate

a) (– 3 )  (+ 4 )  (– 2 ) = d) (– 8 )  3  (– 6 ) = g) (– 6 )  4  5  (– 7 ) =

b) (+ 6 )  (+ 4 )  (– 3 ) = e) 6  5  (– 8 ) = h) (– 2 )  (– 3 )  (– 7 )  2 =

c) (– 5 )  (– 4 )  (– 7 ) = f) 8  (– 6)  (– 12 ) = i) 5  3  (– 6 )  2  (– 8 ) =

8. Calculate

a) – 2 + 3  (– 5 ) – 4 = – 21 e) – 12  8 + (– 5 )  3  (– 8 ) + 15 = 39

b) – 12 - 4  (– 3 )  2 + 7 = 19 f) (– 3 )  (– 2 ) + 5 – 2  (– 3 )  5 = 41

c) – (– 2 )  5 – 3  (– 4 ) = 22 g) 5 + 3  (– 2 ) – 8 + 2  5  (– 3 ) = – 39

d) 7 – 2  (– 5 ) – (– 3 ) + 4 = 24 h) 4 – (– 3 )  5  (– 2 ) – 5 – 4  (– 6 )  3 = 41

9. Calculate

a) (– 15 ) : (– 3 ) = e) 142 : (– 2 ) = i) (– 18 ) : (– 3 ) =

b) 16  4 = f) (– 150 ) : 25 = j) (– 15 ) : 3 =

c) (– 25 ) : 5 = g) 21 : (– 7 ) = k) 42 : (– 21 ) =

d) 144 : (– 3 ) = h) – 112 : 4 = l) – 24 : (– 6 ) =

10. Calculate

a) 5 – 12 : 3 + 7 = 8 e) (– 3 ) – (- 24 ) : (- 2 ) + 5 – 8 : 4 = – 12

b) 6 + 8 + 15 : (– 3 ) + 4 = 13 f) – (– 30 ) : 6 + 5 + 24 : (– 3 ) = 2

c) 4 – 21 : (– 3 ) + 12 : (– 3 ) = 7 g) 4 + 7 – 18 : (– 6 ) + 42 : 7 – 8 = 12

d) (– 8 ) : 2 – (– 4 ) – (– 3 + 2 ) = 1 h) 2 + 6 : (– 3 ) – 24 : (– 6) + (– 72) : 12 = –2

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11. Calculate

a) (12 – 2 ) : ( 1 – 6 ) = – 2 d) – 2 + (– 5 – 12 : 3 ) . (– 3 + 4 : 2 ) = 7

b) – 11 + (– 4 + 7 – 11 )  (– 3 + 6 ) = – 35 e) – 11 – (– 2 + 8  4 ) : ( 7 – 4  7 + 6 ) = – 9

c) – 2 – (– 5 – 7 ) : (– 4 + 5 – 3 ) = – 8 f) – (– 2  4 + 12 : 3 ) : ( 11 – 3  2 – 1 ) = 1

g) (– 3 + 5 – 2 )  (– 8 + 3 ) – (– 5 )  (– 3 + 7 ) = 20

h) – (– 3 + 3  5 ) : (– 2  2 ) + (– 2 )  (– 1 + 14 : 2 ) = – 9

12. Calculate

a) 18 + [ 13 + 4 – ( 5 – 7 ) + 6 ] = 43 e) ( 5 – 4  6 )  [ 3 – (– 2 )  4  (– 3 )] = 399

b) 15 – [12 – 3 . 4 . (– 5 ) + 10] = – 67 f) [3 – ( 5 + 15 : 3 ) ] : [16 – (– 3 )  (– 5 )] = – 7

c) 18 – [2 – ( 4 + 5 ) . (– 4 + 9)] = 61 g) 15 – [4  (– 5 + 4  3 ) – 3] + [ 32 : (– 8)] = – 14

d ) – [13 – ( 12 – 6 )] – [ 3  (– 6)] = 11 h) – [16 – (8 – 5  6)] – (6 – 8 : 2)  (– 7) = – 24

13. Calculate:

a) 4 · (10 – 2) – 2 · (–3 + 15) + 9

b) 8 – [7 – (–2 + 5) – 1] + 4

c) 5 · (8 – 2 + 3) – (–4) · [6 – (2 + 7)]

14. Do the following operations:

a) –4 (6 – 5) + 6 · (–8) : 4= b) 24 : (5 – 11) – 3 (25 – 30)=

15. Do the following operations:

a) –3 (2 – 7) + 5 · (–6) : 3 = b) 16 : (4 – 12) – 3 · (25 – 30)=

c) (7 − 2 + 4) − (2 − 5) = d) 1 − (5 − 3 + 2) − [5 − (6 − 3 + 1) − 2]=

e) −12 · 3 + 18 : (−12 : 6 + 8) =

16. Complete with a number:

a) − 5 + = −12 b) − 6 + = 15 c) + (−7) = −5 d) + (−4) = 9
e) 9 − = −9 f ) −7− = −7 g ) − (−8) = −5 h) 3 − =9
17. Calculate:

a) (3 − 8) + [5 − (−2)] =

b) 5 − [6 − 2 − (1 − 8) − 3 + 6] + 5 =

c) 9 : [6 : (− 2)] =

d) [(−2)5 – (−3)3]2 =

18. Calculate step by step: (5 + 3 · 2 : 6 − 4 ) · (4 : 2 − 3 + 6) : (7 − 8 : 2 − 2) 2 =

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19. Calculate step by step: [(17 − 15)3 + (7 − 12)2] : [(6 − 7) · (12 − 23)] =

20. Find the missing number in each calculation:

21. The temperature in a room is 25ºC in winter. We stop the heating and thus it goes down 5ºC per
hour. What’s the temperature 6 hours later? Do the calculation in a mathematical way.
22. A Roman emperor was born in 63 B.C. and died in 14 A.D. How many years did he live?
Do the calculation in a mathematical way.
24. A bomb displaces the oil in a well from 975 m deep and raises it to a tank places 48 m above ground
level. How far is the oil raised? Do the calculation in a mathematical way.

24. Mt. Everest, the highest elevation in Asia, is 29,028 feet above sea level. The Dead Sea, the lowest
elevation, is 1,312 feet below sea level. What is the difference between these two elevations?

25. A submarine was situated 800 feet below sea level. If it ascends 250 feet, what is its new position?

26. Maggie owes the candy store $35. Each of 5 friends will help her pay off her debt. How much will each
friend pay?

27. Roman Civilization began in 509 B.C. and ended in 476 A.D. How long did Roman Civilization last?

28. A submarine was situated 450 feet below sea level. If it descends 300 feet, what is its new position?

29. In the Sahara Desert one day it was 136°F. In the Gobi Desert a temperature of -50°F was recorded.
What is the difference between these two temperatures?

30. The Punic Wars began in 264 B.C. and ended in 146 B.C. How long did the Punic Wars last?

31. Metal mercury at room temperature is a liquid. Its melting point is -39°C. The freezing point of alcohol is
-114°C. How much warmer is the melting point of mercury than the freezing point of alcohol?

Powers with integer exponent

32. Calculate: a) 5 b) (−2)−3 c) ( −2 ) d)7 152

0 5

33. Calculate: a) 5
−2
b) ( −2 ) c) ( −1) d)2 52
4 5 1

34. Write as power of 2 the following numbers:

−
a)8 b) 16 c ) 8−1 d ) 16−2 e)1/16

35. Reduce to one power

𝑎) 23 25 = b) 33 37 38 = c) 310 : 32 = d) 38 : 32 : 33 =

𝑒) 23 53 = f) 35 25 55 = g) 1010 : 210 = h) 308 : 28 : 38 =

𝑖) (23 )4 = j) (55 )7 = k) 104 : 54 = l) 88 : 83 : 82 =

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36. Reduce to one power

𝑎) 106 : ( 54 24 ) = b) (−12)7 : [(−3)5 45 ] = c) [(−9)5 (−2)5 ]: 184

𝑑) [57 (−4)7 ]: 204 = e) 84 [24 44 ]= f) 58 88 : 48 =

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 2. FRACTIONS
2

1. FRACTIONS

When an object is divided into a number of equal parts, then each part is called a fraction. There are
different ways of writing a fraction.

For example, two fifths of an object can be written as:

• a common fraction → 2/5
• a decimal → 0.4
• a percentage → 40%
numerator says how many parts are in the fraction
denominator says how many equal parts are in the whole object

Always remember: denominator can NEVER be 0. Why? Because you cannot divide by 0.

2. EQUIVALENT FRACTIONS

Two fractions are said to be equivalent when simplifying, both of them produces the same fraction written
in its simplest terms. Equivalent fractions are fractions with identical values.

To create a pair of equivalent fractions, you multiply (or divide, cancelling down) the top (numerator) and
bottom (denominator) of a given fraction by the same number.

Two fractions are equivalent if the cross-products are the same.

3. OPERATIONS INVOLVING FRACTIONS

a. Adding and subtracting fractions

When adding (or subtracting) fractions with different denominators, they must be rewritten to have
the same denominator before starting the addition.
1 1 2 3 −1 1
− = − = =−
6 4 12 12 12 12

1 1 12 3 2 12 + 2 − 3 14 − 3 11
2− + = − + = = =
2 3 6 6 6 6 6 6

b. Multiplying and dividing fractions

To multiply: You must multiply the two top numbers, and multiply the two bottom ones.

1 3 1·3 3
· = =
5 10 5·10 50
To divide one fraction by another, turn the second fraction upside down and then multiply them. (
cross-multiply)
𝟒 𝟑 𝟒 · 𝟏𝟎 𝟐 · 𝟐 · 𝟐 · 𝟓 𝟖
: = = =
𝟓 𝟏𝟎 𝟓·𝟑 𝟓·𝟑 𝟑

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 𝟏 𝟑 𝟏 𝟑·𝟐 𝟔
𝟑: = : = = =𝟔
𝟐 𝟏 𝟐 𝟏·𝟏 𝟏
Don’t forget: To multiply or divide by a whole number, just treat it like a fraction with a denominator
of 1.

c. Power of a fraction
To raise a fraction to the power of the exponent, raise the numerator and the denominator to that
power

𝒂 𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝟐 𝟑 𝟐𝟑 𝟖
( ) = 𝒏→( ) = 𝟑=
𝒃 𝒃 𝟑 𝟑 𝟐𝟕

4. TYPES OF DECIMAL NUMBERS

An exact or terminating decimal is one which does not go on forever, so you can write down all its
digits. For example: 0.125

A recurring decimal is a decimal number which do not stop after a finite number of decimal places, but
where some of the digits are repeated over and over again.

For example: 0.1252525252525252525... is a recurring decimal, where '25' (called the period) is repeated
forever.

There are two types of recurring decimals:

• Pure recurring decimal: It becomes periodic just after the decimal point. Ex. 1.3535… (35 is called
̂
the period). It is usually expressed as 1. 35
• Eventually recurring decimal: When the period is not settled just after de decimal point. Ex.
1.457777… or 1.457̂

5. GENERATRIX FRACTION

It is the fraction corresponding to a decimal number. How to get it?

1. If the decimal part is finite we have to divide all the digits without decimal point into a power of
ten. Example:
325 13
3.25 = =
100 4

2. If the decimal number has a period, we get thus the fraction:

The numerator is the result of subtract all the digits (without decimal point) minus the not recurring part.
The denominator is formed by writing as many 9 as digits has the period and as many 0 as decimal
digits outside of the period it has. Examples:

325 − 3 322
̂=
3.2525 … = 3. 25 =
99 99
603 − 60 543 181
0.6033 … = 0.603̂ = = =
900 900 300

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EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS

1. Cancel down the following fractions into their simplest terms:

6
a)
10
18
b)
54
144
c)
360

3 1 7 1
2. Arrange these fractions in order of size, smallest first: , , ,
5 4 10 2

3. Simplify the following fractions:

12 120
a) = c) =
18 600
24 48
b) = d) =
64 240

4. Put in order the next fractions.

2 3 5 3
a) , , ,
5 10 20 15
3 4 12
b) , ,
5 7 70
2 3 3 7
c) , , ,
4 9 12 8

5. Add or subtract the following fractions. Simplify and reduce when possible.
2 3 4 3 1
a) + = f ) +  − =
3 4 6 6 3
1 2 1 3 2 3 
b) + = g ) +  −  +  =
6 4  3 6   5 10 
1 3 2
c) + − =  3 4  2 1 2
h) +  −  +  + =
3 6 4  6 6   5 3  10
2 1  3  2 
d) − −3 = i )1 −  −  − 4  =
3 6  5   10 
1 3 2 4
e) + − + − 2 =
3 6 5 6
6. Multiply and divide the following fractions. Simplify.
2 2 3 1 2 13 5
𝑎) ⋅ = 𝑏) ⋅ ⋅ = 𝑐) : =
3 7 5 5 3 5 10

2 5 3 5 2 2 6 3 3
𝑑) ⋅ 3 ⋅ = 𝑒) ⋅ : = 𝑓) ( ⋅ ):( : ) =
9 4 5 3 3 12 4 4 2

15
7. Use the order of operations to answer each of the following:
3 3  5  3  1 3
a )1 + : = f ) 4 −  −  5 −  +  3 − −  =
2 5  8  4  2 8
7 33 10 3 1 1
b)  + = g) :  +  =
22 9 11 4 2 4
1 5 3 3 3 1 3
c) + −  = h) −  : =
3 6 5 2  5 2  10
3 2 2 3   12 
d)  −  = i ) + 2    2 −  =
5 3 5 2   7
5  7 9 1 5 1 1
e) :  +  = j ) +    −  =
24  42 14  2 8 3 9

8. Solve and simplify.

 2
a ) 2 − 1 +  = 3 1 1 2
 3 f )  −  : =
2 3 5 6
 3 5
b)1 −  +  =  3 12   13 4 
 10 6  g ) +  :  −  =
 10 4   9 8 
 3  1
c) 2 −  − 1 −  =  9 5   17 15 
 4  4 h) −    −  =
4 6  4 6 
5 2 3 1
d ) +  −  −  =
6 3 2 4
3 4 1 2 1
e) −  −  −  − =
2 5 5 3 2

9. Calculate

2 2 2 2
1 1 9 6
a)   = e)   = i)   = m)   =
2 4 6  19 
2 2 2 3
3  3  5 2
b)   = f ) 15  = j)  −  = n)   =
7  5  7 7
0 3 2 3
7  1  7  3
c)   = g)  −  = k)  −  = o)  2  =
8  3  13   5
5 1 3 1
1 2 1  2
d)   = h)   = l)   = p)  2  =
5 8 4  8

10. Express the following numbers into a fraction format. Write down which type of decimal number is
everyone.
a) 2.25 b) 0.2… c) 0.18… d) 0.25454… e) 5,25
̂
f) 3.2 ̂
g) 2. 02 h) 1.025
̂ i) 0.03
̂ j)0. 99
̂

16
11. Calculate in your head and then answer:
a) How many minutes are there in 1/5 of an hour?
b) How many minutes are there in 5/6 of an hour?
c) What fraction of an hour is 20 minutes?
d) What fraction of an hour is 40 minutes?

12. My class has 24 boys and girls in total. Three fourths of then eat lunch in the canteen (cantina-
cafetería). How many students eat in the canteen?

13. A school buys 60 DVDs for its library. Two thirds of the DVDs are in English. How many English
DVDs were purchased?

14. A kilo of sole (lenguado) costs €12. How much does 3/4 of a kilo of sole cost?

15. A grocer buys a lorry full of oranges and sells half within (en menos de...) the first week and one third
during the second week. What fraction of the oranges has he sold after two weeks?

16. Daniel buys two thirds of a block of cheese and out of this (y de lo que había comprado) he gives his
mother half the block of cheese. What fraction of the whole block (de todo el queso) of cheese does
he have left?

17. Juana buys three quarters of a kilo of pastries (pasteles/bollos) and eats half of them at lunch. What is
the weight of the pastries she has left?

18. The Perez family bought a flat (piso) five years ago. Their initial down payment (entrada) was one
fifth of the flat‘s total value. Over the past five years they have paid off an additional third of the
cost of the flat. What fraction of the cost do they have left to pay?

19. A hiker (excursionista) covers a quarter of his route in the morning and an eighth of it in the afternoon.
What fraction of the route does he still need to cover (to complete the route)?

20. At Luisa’s birthday party, one in three guests is Spanish, one in four is from Portugal and the rest are
from other countries. What fraction of the guests is neither from Spain nor from Portugal?

21. Vicente moves forward 3/4 of a metre with each step. How many steps does he need to take to cover
30 metres? (Hint: distribute those 30m in steps of 3/4 of a metre)

22. How many 1/10 litre bottles of perfume can you fill with three half -litre bottles?(Hint: distribute those 3/2
litres in bottles of 1/10 litres)

23. María bought a TV and is paying for it in eight instalments (plazos). She has already paid five
instalments. What fraction of the total price does she have left to pay? If the TV cost €872, how much
has she paid?

24. A bus is carrying 30 adults and 20 children. What fraction are children?

25. One and a quarter kilos of fish cost €10. How much does fish cost per kilo? (Hint: write as an improper
fraction and then distribute €10 among it)

26. Three quarters of a kilo of cherries cost €3. How much does one kilo cost?

17
27. A travelling salesman bought 800 kilos of melons and has sold three quarters of them. How many
kilos does he have left?

28. Tomatoes cost €2 per kilo. What is the price of one and a quarter kilos of tomatoes?

29. The Martinez family bought a dishwasher and is paying for it in instalments (plazos). The dishwasher
cost €460 and the family has paid off three fifths of its total cost so far (hasta ahora). How much is it left
to pay?

30. Paco spends half his savings (ahorros) on a guitar and two fifths on an amplifier. What fraction of
his savings does he spend in total?

31. My mother bought a cake yesterday. This morning 3/4 of the cake was left, but tonight only one eighth is
left. What fraction of the cake was eaten over the course of the day?

32. In a small town, half of the population is over 40 years old and one sixth is over 60. What fraction of
the total population is between 40 and 60 years old?

33. At an international summer camp, 1/3 of the campers are French, 1/4 are Moroccan and the rest are
Spanish. What fraction of the campers are Spanish?

34. Three – eighths of a cake that weighed 1. 2 kg has been eaten. How much does the remaining cake
weigh?

35. John had €245.000 in his current account before he invested two-fifths of the money in an insurance
company. How much did he invest? How much is left in the account?

36. A car dealer is selling a new model for €12.000, with one-sixth of the price to be paid upfront and the rest
in forty equal monthly payments. How much is each monthly payment?

37. Three-quarters of a kilo of cheese costs €9.75. How much does one kilo of cheese cost?

38. On a tree plantation, 3 out of every 20 trees have been cut down. If 840 trees have been cut down, how
many are left?

39. A lorry’s tank contains 25 litres of diesel, and the gauge says the tank is ¾ full. How many litres can the
tank hold?

40. Alberto moves forward 5/6 of a metre with each step. How many steps must he take to complete 9
kilometers walk?

41. In a bicycle race, cyclist A has covered 4/5 of the total route and has 21 km left before the finish line.
How many kilometers are left before cyclist B reaches the finish line, if he has covered 2/7 of the route?

42. Vitoria is planning for her holiday. She calculates that if she spends a third of her savings on a plane ticket
and a quarter on a hotel, she will still have €450 left. How much money does she have?

43. A bottle of juice can hold 3/4 of a litre. How many litres can 100 bottles hold?

44. How many kilos of lentils (lentejas) do you need to fill 200 bags that hold 3/4 of a kilo each?
45. Three quarters of a kilo of kidney beans (habichuelas rojas) costs €3.60. How much does one kilo
cost?

18
 UNIT 3. DECIMAL NUMBERS
1. DECIMAL NUMBERS: DECIMAL PLACES

One decimal place to the left of the decimal point is the ones place. One decimal place to the right of the
decimal place is the tenths place.
Keep your eye on the 9 to see where the decimal places fall.
Millions 9,000,000.0
hundred thousands 900,000.0
ten thousands 90,000.0
Thousands 9,000.0
Hundreds 900.0
Tens 90.0
Ones 9
Tenths 0.9
Hundredths 0.09
Thousandths 0.009
ten thousandths 0.0009
hundred thousandths 0.00009

2. DECIMAL OPERATIONS

Addition and subtraction

We have to operate according to the comma or point position. For example, do 26.79 + 0.4085 + 4.0 +
528.254 and take away 0.508 from 83.5

Multiplication
We have to multiply in a normal way and then put as many decimal places as the sum of the two numbers
have. Complete the multiplication.

Division
We have to multiply the dividend and the divisor by a power of ten that gets a divisor without decimal
part. Then we divide in a normal way. To get the decimal part for the quotient we have to add a comma
or point when the remainder is lower than the divisor.

19
 3. TYPES OF DECIMAL NUMBERS

An exact or terminating decimal is one which does not go on forever, so you can write down all its
digits. For example: 0.125

A recurring decimal is a decimal number which do not stop after a finite number of decimal places, but
where some of the digits are repeated over and over again.

For example: 0.1252525252525252525... is a recurring decimal, where '25' (called the period) is repeated
forever.

There are two types of recurring decimals:

• Pure recurring decimal: It becomes periodic just after the decimal point. Ex. 1.3535… (35 is called the
̂
period). It is usually expressed as 1. 35
• Eventually recurring decimal: When the period is not settled just after de decimal point. Ex. 1.457777…
or 1.457̂

3. APROXIMATIONS

When a number has a lot of decimal places, it is usual to cut some digits off to make the number shorter.
In this case we are making an approximation. This value is an approximation. It could be lower than the
real value (defect) or higher than the real value (excess).
We have three forms to do that:
1. Truncate a decimal number to a given order is to leave the digits prior to that order and eliminate
the others. Example:
Truncate to hundredths 3.14159265…
Truncate to ten-thousandths 3.14159265…

2. Approximate the number by defect or excess according to the value we take a number lower
or greater than the real value respectively. Example:
Approximate to hundredths 3.14159265… by excess
Approximate to ten-thousandths by defect 3.14159265…

3. Round a decimal number to a given order is to suit the last digit as the next rule: If the next
digit is greater than or equal to 5 increases by one the previous digit; otherwise, it remains
equal. Example:
Round to hundredths 3.14159265…
Round to ten-thousandths 3.14159265…

Round to the nearest Round to the nearest Round to the nearest

ones tenths hundredths
124 (because the 123.5 (because the 123.54 (because the
123.537 following digit, 5, is ≥ 5) following number, 3 is following number is 7≥5)
<5)

4.092 4 4.1 4.09

34.736
56.509

20
4. SEXAGESIMAL SYSTEM

It is used to measure angles (degrees, minutes and seconds) and time (hours, minutes and seconds).

Mixed units: When we use multiple units to express the quantity. For example, an angle can measure
30º 20’ 15’’, and a film can last 1h 20m 10s

2 h 48 min 35 s 56º 20' 40"

+ 2 h 45 min 30 s + 37º 42' 15"

125º 15' 30" 33º 33' 33"

- 24º 50' 40" - 17º 43' 34"

56º 20' 40" 37º 42' 15" 125º 15' 30"

_____ x2 x3 x4

56º 20' 40" | 5 37º 42' 15" | 4________

21
 EXERCISES

1. Calculate.
a) 32.35 – 0.89 =
b) 81.002 – 45.09 =
c) 4.53 + 0.089 + 3.4 =
d) 4 – 2.95 =
e) 78.089 + 0.067 + 2.765 + 1.89 =

2. Calculate.
a) 24.5 · 100 = b) 34.25 · 1000 = c) 0.045 · 0.001= d) 794.2 · 0.01 =
e) 235.45 : 100 = f) 493 : 1000 = g) 30 : 10 = h) 1.84 : 0.01 =

3. Calculate
a) 24.5 · 5.65 = b) 34.25 · 87.67 = c) 23.545 : 0.5 = d) 7.943 : 0.14 =

4. Calculate:
a) 4.56 + 3 · (7.92 +5.65) = b) 2.1 · ( 0.5 +1.2 · 3 + 1.8: 3) + 1.7 =

c) 3.2 : 100 – 0.1082 =

5. Complete for 23.6195.

..thousandths ..undredths ..tenths ..ones

Truncate to the
nearest...
Round to the
nearest…

6. Calculate and round to the nearest tenths.

a) 254.05 + 107.3 b) 540.39 - 1075.44 c) 12.5 · 157.15 d) 2002 : 4.27

7. Calculate and round to the nearest hundredths:

a) 56 · 204.5 b) 7.25 · 45.975 c) 376.14 : 185.2375 d) 16.4 : 25.65

8. We have 5 metal balls. Each ball weighs 0.7 grams. How much do they weigh in all?

9. Patricia has $425.82 in her checking account (cuenta corriente). How much does she have in her account
after she makes a deposit of $120.75 and a withdrawal of $185.90?

10. An inch equals 2.54cm. If the diagonal of a TV measures 42 inches, how long is it in cm? If the diagonal
of a TV measures 63.5cm, how many inches does it measure?

11. The Sonia’s Clothes store at the mall (centro commercial) has five employees (Devin, Abigail, Emily, Kevin,
and Rebecca). This week they worked 42, 23.5, 46, 48, and 28 hours. They are paid by the hour. Each
employee is paid at a different hourly rate ($19.25, $16.60, $18.80, $7.45, and $11.75). Find how much does
each employee receive and how much it is in all.

12. A clock gains (se adelanta) 2m 15s every day. How much will gain in a month (30 days)?

13. Juan's basketball practice started at 4:15 P.M. The team practiced offense for 45 minutes and defense for 1
hour and 15 minutes. What time did Juan's basketball practice end?

22
14. A land developer is splitting up 769.4 hectares of land to form 2 identical properties. What size will each
property be?

15. Ellen wanted to buy the following items: A DVD player for $49.95, a DVD holder for $19.95 and a personal
stereo for $21.95. Does Ellen have enough money to buy all three items if she has $90 with her?

16. Expenses for the Rodriguez family vacation were $978.50 for hotels, $489.95 for meals, $162.79 for
transportation, and $76.12 for souvenirs. Estimate the total cost by rounding to the nearest one (redondea
a unidades).

17. Olivia used 0.6 kilograms of almonds to make 5 batches of snack mix. How many kilograms of almonds (on
average) were in each batch?

18. A train left Federico's town and travelled for 3 hours to Danville. Then it travelled 1 hour and 45 minutes
and arrived in Stafford at 11:00 A.M. What time did the train leave Federico's town?

19. A train left Lucy's town at 2:45 P.M. The train travelled for 5 hours and 45 minutes to Manchester.
Then it travelled 1 hour to Somerville. What time did the train arrive in Somerville?

20. What is the total cost for 2 kilograms of cashews (anacardos),1.6 kilograms of pecans, and 0.8 kilogram
of walnuts (nueces)?

21. How much more does a wheelbarrow (carretilla) cost than a hammer?

22. Ana started playing a video game at 11:15 A.M. It took her 30 minutes to beat the first level and 0.4
hours to beat the second level. Ana played the final level for 1 hour and 45 minutes and finished the game.
What time was it when Ana stopped playing the game?

23. How much money does Pedro need to buy 9 portable DVD players, an MP3 player and 7 video game
systems?

24. On Thursday afternoon at camp, Maggie played basketball and went swimming before dinner. She started
playing basketball at 2:45 P.M. and played for 2.6 hours. Then she swam for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Dinner
lasted for 1 hour. What time did dinner end?

25. John has £176.50. Does he have enough to buy a telescope and a case of beakers (vaso de precipitado)?

23
26. At soccer practice on Saturday morning, IES Lazarillos's team practiced dribbling for 15 minutes and practiced
shooting for 30 minutes. Then, they played a scrimmage game (partidillo, “pachanga”) for 0.12 hours
before practice ended at 11:30 A.M. What time did IES Lazarillos’s soccer practice start?

27. If Alicia buys 1.25kg of bran flakes and 5.6kg of wheat flakes, how much will she spend?

28. School lunches cost $14.50 per week. About how much would 15.5 weeks of lunches cost?

29. Melissa purchased $39.46 in groceries at a store. The cashier gave her $1.46 in change from a $50
bill. Melissa gave the cashier an angry look. What did the cashier do wrong? how much change should
Melissa get from the cashier?

30. A store owner has 7.11 lbs. of candy. If she puts the candy into 9 jars, how much candy will each jar
contain?

31. Susan has 4 times as much money as her sister. If Susan has $10, how much money does her sister have?

32. A student earns $11.75 per hour for gardening. If she worked 21 hours this month, then how much
did she earn?

33. Rick's car gets 29.7 miles per gallon on the highway. If his fuel tank holds 10.45 gallons, then how
far can he travel on one full tank of gas?

34. Shanelle purchased 4 pencils for $0.28 each. If she had a $5 bill, how much money did she have left after
purchasing the pencils?

35. I have a pile of DVD's. Each DVD has a height of 0.3 cm. If the pile is 75 cm tall, how many DVD's are
there in the pile?

36. Translate into hours minutes and seconds:

a) 482.21min
b) 2.56h
c) 3423s
d) 21.35h
e) 300s
f) 4539.20min
g) 4.320h

37. Express in hours, minutes and seconds:

a) 45800s
b) 34567s
c) 13590s
d) 56814s

38. Express in seconds:

a) 28º 17’ 39’’
b) 56º 38’’
c) 60º 31’
d) 2º 54’ 27’’

24
39. Express in seconds:
a) 2h 16min 20s
b) 30 min 32s
c) 3h 45min
d) 7h 14min 42s

40. Calculate:
a) 21h 35min 50s + 4h 31min 24s
b) 37h 21min 7s + 64h 53min 8s
c) 5h 53min 39s + 71h 42min 38s
d) 32h 27min 39s + 47h 58min 37s
e) 37h 12min 5s – 10h 47min 12s

41. Calculate:
a) (2h 3min 10s) · 13
b) (21h 8min 29s) · 7
c) (53h 27min 47s) · 20
d) (182h 35min 21s) : 3
e) (52h 17min 32s) : 8
f) (341h 37min 45s) : 15

25
 UNIT 4. POLYNOMIALS
1. ALGEBRAIC LANGUAGE OR SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE

This is the language that expresses numerical relations in which there are variable quantities or
unknowns. Because they don’t have a fixed value; or because it is not known we use letters to name
these.
Formulas and equations are the most important examples.
An algebraic expression is a combination of letters, numbers and parentheses, related to operations.
The elements of an algebraic expression are:
▪ Terms: each of the summands.
▪ Constant term: Only has a numerical part.
▪ Variables: the unknown quantities.
▪ Coefficients: the multiplying number of each variable.
Monomials
The elemental algebraic expression consisting of only one term.
Example: 3x5,3 is the coefficient, x5 is the literal part and 5 is the degree.
Similar monomials are those that have the same literal part.
Polynomials
These are the sum of monomials.
The polynomial degree is the highest degree that it contains.
Binomial is a two-term polynomial, trinomial is a three-term polynomial and so on.

2. OPERATIONS WITH MONOMIALS

2.1 Numerical value of a polynomial

This is the value obtained by replacing the variable with a number and performing the operations.
Example: calculate the value of P(x) for x=2
P(x) = x4 − 2x2 − 6x – 1; P(x=2)= (2)4 – 2*(2)2 – 6*(2) – 1=16 – 8 –12 – 1=-5

2.2. Adding and subtracting

If the monomials are similar (with the same literal part), we can add or subtract the coefficients and
leave the common literal part. 2x+5x=7x and 2x-5x=-3x
If the monomials are not similar, we get a polynomial. 2x+5x2=2x+5x2
The opposite of a monomial is the same monomial with the opposite sign.

2.3. Product
We multiply the coefficients and elsewhere the variables. The result is a new monomial whose degree is
the sum of the factor degrees. 10x2٠5x= 50x3

2.4. Division
We divide the coefficients and divide the variables. The result is a new monomial whose degree is the
subtraction of the degrees. (10x2): (5x) = 2x3

2.5. Power
To raise a monomial to a power we raise the coefficient to the power and we multiply the exponent of
the variable by the exponent of the power. (3x3) 2 = 9x6

26
3. OPERATIONS WITH POLYNOMIALS

3.1. Addition
We add the terms with the same degree.
To add polynomials, we only have to add their monomials.
Example:
(2x3 + 3x2 – 5x + 2) + (5x2 – 3x + 21) =
2x3 + 3x2 – 5x +2 + 5x2 - 3x + 21 = 2x3 + 8x2 – 8x + 23

3.2. Subtraction
The opposite of a polynomial is another polynomial with the opposite monomials. For example:
Op (3x4 – 2x2 + x – 1) = -3x4 +2x2 – x + 1
To subtract polynomials, we only have to add the first polynomial plus the opposite of the second
polynomial.
Example:
(2x3 + 3x2 – 5x + 2) - (5x2 – 3x + 21) = 2x3 + 3x2 – 5x +2 - 5x2 + 3x - 21 = 2x3 - 2x2 – 2x – 19

3.3. Multiplication

Product of a monomial by a polynomial. Common factor

To multiply a monomial by a polynomial we multiply the monomial by each term according to the
distributive property: a·(b + c) = a · b + a · c
Examples:

a ·(a + b) = a · a + a · b = a2 + ab
2x ·(2x2 + 4x - 1) = 4x3 + 8x2 - 2x

Product of polynomials
Multiply each term in one polynomial by each term in the other polynomial, add those answers
together, and simplify if needed
(5x3 – 3x2 + 1) · 2x2 = 10x5 – 6x4 + 2x2
(5x3–3x2+1)·(2x2+3) =10x5–6x4+2x2+15x3–9x2+3 = 10x5 – 6x4 +15x3 – 7x2 +3

3.4. Division by a monomial

Each term of the polynomial is divided by the monomial and it is simplified as individual fractions.

4x3 : 2x = 2x2 20x7 : 2x3 = 10x4 15x3y7 : 3x2y2 = 5xy5

(4x3 – 2x2 + 6x) : 2x = 2x2 – 1x + 3

27
4. REMARKABLE IDENTITIES

We call remarkable identities to some binomial products that appear very often in calculations with
algebraic expressions.

- Square of an addition: (a + b)2 = a2 + b2 + 2ab

(a + b)2 = (a + b)·(a + b) = a2 + ab + ba + b2 = a2 + b2 + 2ab

Example: (x + 2)2 = x2 + 22 + 2 · x · 2 = x2 + 4x + 4

- Square of a subtraction: (a - b)2 = a2 + b2 - 2ab

(a - b)2 = (a - b)·(a - b) = a2 - ab - ba + b2 = a2 + b2 - 2ab

Example: (2x - 3)2 = (2x)2 + 32 - 2 · 2x · 3 = 4x2 - 12x + 9

- Addition multiplied by subtraction: (a + b)·(a – b) = a2 - b2

(a + b)·(a – b) = a2 - ab + ba - b2 = a2 – b2
Example: (x + 7)·(x – 7)= x2 – 72 = x2 - 49

5. COMMON FACTOR

The first step to help you factorize common algebraic factors is to break each individual term into expanded
form. Example: 3xy2+12x2y

In this scenario, we know that 3xy2 can be expanded into 3xyy and 12x2y can be expanded into 223xxy.
Now if you look at both lists, 3xy is common between both lists

3xy2+12x2y = 3xyy + 223xxy = 3xy (y+4x)

28
 EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
1. Complete:

Monomial Coefficient Literal part Degree

8x2

5 ab4c2

x2 y

3 2
p qr
4
5 3 2
xyz
7

2. Translate into algebraic language

a) The half of a number.

b) The double of a number, minus two
c) The product of two consecutive numbers
d) The sum of a number and its half
e) The half of a number, plus five
f) The double of a number minus two

3. If Pablo is x years old...

a) His father is the double of Pablo´s age........

b) His brother is four years older than Pablo........
c) His grandfather is five times older than Pablo´s brother.........
d) His uncle is twenty years younger than Pablo´s grandfather…..

4. Operate:
1 2
a) 3x2 + 6x2 + 5x2 = d) 6z2y + 3yz2 + yz =
2
1 3 3 2 3 1 2 3 5 2 3
b) 7x3 + 2x3 + x = e) zy + zy + zy =
3 4 2 3
5 3 3 3 2 3
c) 6xy + 2xy + 3xy = f) ab + ab + ba=
7 4 9

5. Given the polynomials: P(x) = x4 − 2x2 − 6x − 1; Q(x) = x3 − 6x2 + 4 and R(x) = 2x 2 −

2x – 2
a) P(x) + R(x) b) P(x) + 2 Q(x) − R(x) c) Q(x) · R(x)

d) P(x) - Q (x) e) Q(x) - P (x) + R (x)

6. Given the polynomials: P(x) = 3x 4 − 2x2 − 6x − 1; Q(x) = 3x 3 − 10x2 and R(x) = 2x 2 − 2x – 2

a) 3·P(x) − R(x) b) P(x) · R(x) c) Q(x) - P (x) + R (x)

7. Given the polynomials: P(x) = 2x 4 − x3 − 6x − 1; Q(x) = x3 − 6x2 + 1 and R(x) = 3x 2 − 2x − 2

a. Calculate: P(x) − 2 R(x) b. Multiply: P(x) · Q(x)

29
8. Find the numerical value for a = 1; b = 0 and x = 2 for the following expressions:

a) a + b2 – x = b) x2 + 3x – 1 =
c) ax + a = d) b2 – 7a =

9. Given the polynomials: P(x) = 2x4 − 4x3 − 2x – 3; Q(x) = 3x3 − 7x2 −4; R(x) = 5x 2 − 3x − 2

Calculate:
a) P(x) + Q(x) − R(x) =
b) P(x) + 2 Q(x) − R(x) =
c) Q(x) + R(x) − P(x)=

10. Multiply:

a) (x4 − 2x2 + 2) · (x2 − 2x + 3)

b) (3x2 − 5x) · (2x3 + 4x2 − x + 2)
c) (2x2 − 5x + 6) · (3x4 − 5x3 − 6x2 + 4x − 3) =

11. Develop:

a) (2x + 3)2 b) (x + 2) 2

c) (3x - 2) 2 d) (2x + 5) 2

12. Develop:

a) (x + 5) 2 b) (2x - 5) 2 c) (3x + 2) 2

13. Develop:

a) (3x - 2) · (3x + 2) = b) (x + 5) · (x - 5) =

c) (2x - 1) · (2x + 1) = d) (3x + 5) · (3x - 5) =

14. Divide:

a) 4x2: 2x b) (4j2 – j3) : j2 c) (4z5 – 8zy3) : 2z

d) (25x4y2): (2x3y) e) (24x3y2): (2x3y2) f) (40x5yz2): (10x3y)

g) (5x4 - 10x2): (5x2) h) (20x4 - 2x3 + 10x2): (2x)

i) (15a4 – 6a3 + 9a): (3a) i) (10x7 + 20x4 - 40x3 + 10x2): (5x)

15. Take out common factor

a) 6xy2 + 8xy3 b) 4x4 - 8x3 + 4x2 + 2x c) 12ab4 + 3ab3 - 6ab

d) 4xy2 + 8yx2 e) 3abc + 2ab – 5ac f) 7a + 4c - 5ac

30
16. Review

17. Remarkable identities:

a) (x + 2)2 b) (x − 4)2 c) (x + y )2
d) (x − 3) e) (2 x + 2) f) (3x − 5)
2 2 2

g) (2a − 1) h) (a + 2b ) i) (− a + 2b )
2 2 2

j) (− 2 + 5 x ) k) ( x − 7 y ) l) (2m + 4n )
2 2 2

m) (b + 1)  (b − 1) n) (4 + x )  (4 − x ) o) (m − 4 )  (m + 4 )
p) (2 x + 1)  (2 x − 1) q) (2 x + 3 y )  (2 x − 3 y ) r) (3 z − 2 )  (3 z + 2 )

31
 UNIT 5. EQUATIONS
1. EQUATIONS

PARTS OF AN ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSION

- Variables: They are the letters.
- Terms: Each adding part.
- Coefficients: The numbers which are multiplying the variables.
- Independent term: The number without letter.
- Numerical value of an algebraic expression: The value that results of replacing the variable by a
number
2
Write for 2 x -3 x - 4
a) Terms: b) Coefficients: c) Variable:

d) Numerical value for x = 1

e) Numerical value for x = –2.

EQUATIONS
Algebra is the section of mathematics that studies symbolic language. Examples, the area formula of a
rectangle: A = b · a, two consecutive numbers add up to 15: x + x +1 = 15.
An equation is an equality with unknowns. We describe the unknown values by letters. The equation
expresses the numeric relation between the data and the unknowns. For example,
a) 4x – 5 = 7; b) x2 + x – 2 = 0; c) x + y = 7

To solve an equation is the procedure that we follow to find the value of the unknown. Equivalent
equations have the same solutions.

Write an equivalent equation to 3x + 5 = 11

TRANSPOSITION RULES
These are the rules that we use to get equivalent equations. Write on the right the results after
using the property. The first one is done as example.
1. A number which is adding to a member x+4=7 x=7–4
can be removed by subtracting this
quantity in both members.
2. A number which is subtracting from a 3x – 5 = 12
member can be removed by adding this
quantity in both members.
3. A number which is multiplying a member 3 · (x – 6) = 9
can be removed by dividing this quantity
in both members.
4. A number which is dividing a member can 5 x −8
=6
be removed by multiplying this quantity in 3
both members.
5. We can change the sign of both members –8x + 5 = 2x – 9
together.

32
2. FIRST–DEGREE EQUATION. LINEAR EQUATIONS
They are equations whose highest power for the unknown is one.

RESOLUTION OF EQUATIONS

Steps to solve the equations:

1. Remove the parenthesis, brackets...
2. Remove the denominators.
3. Take the terms with variables to one side and the numerical ones to the other.
4. Reduce like terms.
5. Work out the “x” and calculate the solution.
6. CHECK THE SOLUTION

Example 1: 3·(x + 2) = 9
– Remove the parenthesis by using the distributive property 3x + 6 = 9
– Take the variables.. 3x = 9 – 6
– Reduce . . 3x = 3
– Work out . . . x=1
– Check … 3·(1 + 2) = 9; 3·3 = 9; 9 = 9

Example 2
3x 2 x x 15 x 8 x 2 x 20
+ + =1  + + =
4 5 10 20 20 20 20
15 x + 8 x + 2 x = 20  25 x = 20
20 4
x=  x=
25 5
Example 3

x + 3 x −1 x + 3 2( x − 1) 20 4 x 16
+ +5 = x+4  + + = +
4 2 4 4 40 4 4
x + 3 + 2( x − 1) + 20 = 4 x + 16  x + 3 + 2 x - 2 + 20 = 4 x + 16
x + 2 x - 4 x = 16-3 + 2-20  -x = −5  x = 5

RESOLUTION OF PROBLEMS WITH EQUATIONS

In science we usually know some information about the unknown values that we want to find. These are
the data.
Solving the problem is to find the value of the unknown quantities using the given information. How
to solve them?
You must follow these five steps:
1. Locating the unknown and calling it x.
2. Writing the information in terms of it.
3. Solving the equation.
4. Writing the solution.
5. Checking the solution.

33
3. SECOND DEGREE EQUATIONS. QUADRATIC EQUATIONS
A quadratic equation is an equation whose unknown is second degree. Therefore, it has three kinds of
coefficients: second degree; first degree and independent.
We can always reduce a quadratic equation to an expression like this:
ax 2 + bx + c = 0 . This is the general form.

A medieval mathematician discovers the way to isolate the unknown for these kinds of equations and
he got the next formula:

Example 1:
x2 − 5x + 6 = 0 a = 1; b = −5; c = 6
−b  b 2 − 4ac −(−5)  (−5) 2 − 4·1·6
x= = =
2a 2·1
5 +1
=3
5  25 − 24 5  1  2
= = =
2 2 5 −1 = 2
 2
Example 2:
3x 2 + x + 1 = 0 a = 3; b = 1; c = 1
−b  b 2 − 4ac −1  12 − 4·3·1
x= = =
2a 2·3
−1  1 − 12 −1  −11
= = = the solution doesn't exist
6 6

• NOTE: The discriminant, Δ = b2 – 4ac, is which decides the number of solutions: if Δ > 0 there are
two solutions; if Δ = 0 there is one solution and if Δ < 0 there is no solution.

INCOMPLETE EQUATIONS
These are the quadratic equations without some of the terms
Type 1. If the equation doesn’t have first–degree term we will clear the unknown directly.

• Example : b = 0
4 x 2 − 100 = 0 a = 4; b = 0; c = −100
100
4 x 2 = 100 x2 = = 25 x =  25 = 5
4

34
Type 2. If the equation doesn’t have independent term we will solve the equation by factorization. For
this sort of equations we always get 0 as solution.

Example 1: c=0
4x2 − x = 0 a = 4; b = −1; c = 0 we have to get the common factor
x = 0

x·( 4 x - 1 ) = 0  1
4 x − 1 = 0 4x = 1 x =
4
Example 2: c=0
x2 + 4x = 0 a = 1; b = 4; c = 0 we have to get the common factor
x = 0
x·( x + 4 ) = 0 
x + 4 = 0 x = −4

35
36
37
39. Practice
1. 2x-34=-20 Sol: x=7 2. 9x+8=7x+6 Sol: x=-1
3. 4x+3=3x+5 Sol: x=2 4. 7x+9=3+9x Sol: x=3
5. x-8=2x-11 Sol: x=3 6. x+1=2x-7 Sol: x=8
7. 6x+6=4+8x Sol: x=1 8. 9+9x=17+5x Sol: x=2
9. 2x+3=3x Sol: x=3 10. 25-2x=3x+20 Sol: x=1
11. 4x+1=3x+3 Sol: x=2 12. 5x-3=10x-6 Sol: x=3/5
13. 1+8x=-16x+31 Sol: x=5/4 14. 5x-11=15x-19 Sol: x=4/5
15. 12x-48=-15x-30 Sol: x=2/3 16. 2x+17=3x+7 Sol: x=10
17. 10-5x=x-2 Sol: x=2 18. 70-3x=4x Sol: x=10
19. 48-3x=5x Sol: x=6 20. -4x+30=-3x-10 Sol: x=40
21. 10x-15=4x+27 Sol: x=7 22. x-3(x-2)=6x-2 Sol: x=1
23. 3x+1=6x-8 Sol: x=3 24. 3x-7=2(x+1) Sol: x=9
25. 47-3x=5+11x Sol: x=3 26. 2(2+4x)=3+12x Sol: x=1/4
27. 30-9x=-7x+21 Sol: x=9/2 28. 5x=7(5x-3)+3 Sol: x=3/5
29. 3x-10=2x+1 Sol: x=11 30. 2(x-5)=3x-17 Sol: x=7
31. 25-2x=3x-35 Sol: x=12 32. 2+5(x-13)=x-3 Sol: x=15
33. 75-5x=3x+3 Sol: x=9 34. 2x-1=3(2x-15) Sol: x=11
35. 5+8x=2x+20 Sol: x=5/2 36. 2(x-2)=-(4-x) Sol: x=0
37. 2y-3=y+5 Sol: y=8 38. 2(3x-49)=-x+14 Sol: x=16
39. 2-6x=3x-1 Sol: x=1/3 40. 20=2x-(10-4x) Sol: x=5
41. 60x-1=3(1+12x) Sol: x=1/6 42. 5(x-1)+10(x+2)=45 Sol: x=2
43. 2x+3(2x-1)=x+67 Sol: x=10 44. 12x+3(2x-4)=60 Sol: x=4
45. 3-2x(5-2x)=4x2+x-30 Sol: x=3 46. 3x-(x+1)=x-2 Sol: x=-1
47. 3[2x-(3x+1)]=x+1 Sol: x=-1 48. x-3(x+5)=3x+10 Sol: x=-5
49. (x-15)=3(x-19) Sol: x=21 50. 3(2-x)=18x-1 Sol: x=1/3
51. 3(x+4)=4x+1 Sol: x=11 52. 10+5(x-3)=3(x+1) Sol: x=4
53. 2(3-4x)=2x-9 Sol: x=3/2 54. 10-9x=4(x-4) Sol: x=2
55. 2(3x+2)=4[2x-5(x-2)] Sol: x=2 56. 15x=2(1+9x)-3 Sol: x=1/3
57. 3(12-x)-4x=2(11-x)+9x Sol: x=1 58. x+3=3(2x-4) Sol: x=3
3x x x -6
59. + 2= x + 4 60. x - 8 = -
2 2 3
3x x  x+5 
61. x - = +3 62. 2  = x + 3
4 7  3 
9x 2x 1 5x 3x
63. - 6= + 64. - = x - 11
4 3 3 6 4
3x 2x 5
65. - 7= +1 66. x - 10 = (x - 6)
5 6 9
x 2x 3x x
67. + x = 10 + 68. + 1 = 12 -
3 9 2 3
x x 5x - 6
69. + = x - 3 70. 4x - 7 =
5 2 4
x+2 2x - 10 7
71. = 5x - 4 72. =
3 3x - 20 8
x 3x x 13 5x 5
73. + + x = 21 74. - = -
4 6 4 6 2 6
x x x x x
75. + + = 94 76. + 10 = + 16
3 4 5 3 5
x -7 10 x
77. = - 3 78. 3x - 9 + = 2x - 3
x+3 x+3 5

38
79. x2-7x+12=0 Sol: x=3; x=4 80. x2-9x+18=0 Sol: x=3; x=6
81. x2-5x+6=0 Sol: x=2; x=3 82. x2+8x+15=0 Sol: x=-5; x=-3
83. x2-6x-27=0 Sol: x=-3; x=9 84. x2-6x+9=0 Sol: x=3
85. x2+6x=-9 Sol: x=-3 86. 4x2+4x=3 Sol: x=1/2; x=-3/2
87. x2-9x+14=0 Sol: x=2; x=7 88. x2-6x+8=0 Sol: x=4; x=2
89. 2x2+10x-48=0 Sol: x=3; x=-8 90. x2-x=20 Sol: x=-4; x=5
91. x2=5x+6 Sol: x=6; x=-1 92. 2x2-5x+3=0 Sol: x=1; x=3/2
93. x2+10x+25=0 Sol: x=-5 94. x2+9=10x Sol: x=1; x=9
95. 3x2-39x+108=0 Sol: x=4; x=9 96. 2x2-9x+9=0 Sol: x=3; x=3/2
97. 3x2+2x=8 Sol: x=-2; x=4/3 98. 4x2+12x+9=0 Sol: x=-3/2
99. 5x2 = 45 Sol: x=3; x=-3 100. x(x+1)=0 Sol: x=0; x=-1
101. 5x2= 2x + x2 Sol: x=0; x=1/2 102. 3x2 -2x = 2x2 -4x Sol: x=-2; x=0
103. 2x + x2=2x Sol: x=0 104. 4x2+2x=8x Sol: x=0; x=3/2
105. x2/2 = x/3 Sol: x=0; x=2/3 106. 3x2-7= x2+1 Sol: x=2; x=-2
107. -40 + 2x2=10 Sol: x=5; x=-5 108. 4x2+2x=8x Sol: x=0; x=3/2
109. 5x2/8 = 2/5 Sol: x=4/5; x=-4/5 110. 5x2-7+2x= x2+93+2x Sol: x=5; x=-5

40. A number and the same number plus one add up to 43. What is the number?

41. A number and the same number minus 12 add up to 18. What is the number?

42. If you add thirteen to two times a number, you obtain a result of 99. What is the number?

43. There are 31 people in a café. There are 5 more men than women. How many men and how many
women are there?

44. In a pride of 13 lions (familia de 13 leones) there are 3 more females than there are males. How many
lions and how many lionesses are there?

45. On a farm, the horns (cuernos) and legs of the cows add up to 30. How many cows are there on the
farm?

46. Juana bought two pens and a marker for a total of €5. What was the price of each item if a marker costs
fifty cents more than a pen?

47. The base of a rectangle is three centimetres longer than its height. Its perimeter is 38 cm. What are the
dimensions of the rectangle? (*) Use a drawing to set the problem up.

48. Calculate the length of the sides of an isosceles triangle, given that its perimeter is 48 cm and the
length of the base is the double of the side.

49. A box of figs weighs one more kilo than a box of strawberries. Together, three boxes of strawberries and
two boxes of figs weigh 12kg. How much does each box weigh?
50. A bowl of ice-cream costs eighty cents more than a pasty (empanadilla). At snack-time, María and Ana
bought one bowl of ice-cream and two pasties for a total of €4.40. How much does a pasty cost? How
much does a bowl of ice-cream cost?

51. At the market, Meyer buys a bunch of bananas for $0.35 per pound and a frozen pizza for $4.99. The
total for his purchase was $6.04. How many pounds of bananas did Meyer buy?

52. Laura is making a patio in her backyard using paving stones (losa). She buys 44 paving stones and
a flowerpot (macetero) worth $7 for a total of $73. How much did each paving stone cost?

53. A taxi service charges you $1.50 plus $0.60 per minute for a trip to the airport. The distance to
the airport is 10 miles, and the total charge is $13.50. How many minutes did the ride to the airport take?

54. If we add five to the double of a number, we get twenty-three. What is the number?

39
55. We know that there are 171 animals at the zoo. If there are the double of tigers than panthers, how
many are there of each species?

56. When 12 is subtracted from 3 times a number, the result is 24. Find the number.

57. Ben rents a car for one day. The charge is $20 plus the $0.12 per mile. He wants to spend exactly $80.
How many miles can he drive?

58. Jill made 20 muffins. She put them into 3 boxes and has two muffins left. How many are in each box if
they all contain the same amount of muffins?

59. If you multiply a number by 3 and then subtract 5, you will get 40. What is the number?

60. Ryan made a $3000 down payment on a car. The total cost of the car was $7500. He made 36 equal
monthly payments to pay the car in full. How much did Ryan pay per month?

61. Joe went to the hobby shop and bought 2 model sports cars at $8.95 each and some paints. If he spent a
total of $23.65, what was the cost of the paints?

62. Kendra is buying bottled water for a class trip. She has 16 bottles left over from the last trip. She buys
bottles by the case to get a good price. Each case holds 24 bottles. How many cases will she have to buy
if she wants to have a total of 160 bottles of water?

63. Ryan made a $3000 down payment on a car. The total cost of the car was $7500. He made 36 equal
monthly payments to pay the car in full. How much did Ryan pay per month?

40
 UNIT 6 SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS
1. DEFINITIONS
An equation is linear if it is a first-degree equation. For example, x + y = 10.
The solutions are an infinite set of pairs, one for each unknown, that make all the equalities right.
For example, two numbers add up to 12.
Write the equation that expresses this situation. Write several solutions.

A system of equations is a set of equations referred to the same unknowns.

The solution of a system of equations is the set of values that get every equality right. For example, two
numbers add up to 12 and their difference is 6.
Write the system that defines this problem.

Write the solution for it.

Two systems are equivalent if they have the same solutions.

Resolution is the method we use to find the solutions. The aim for every method is to get an equation
with one unknown.

41
2. SUBSTITUTION METHOD
It consists of clearing an unknown in one of the equations and replacing it in the other
one.
This method has four steps.
x + y = 5
Follow the steps on the right to solve this system: 
2 x − y = 7
First step: We clear one unknown in one of
the equations.

Second step: We substitute the previous value

in the corresponding unknown of the other
equation.

Third step: We solve the resulting equation.

Fourth step: We work out the other unknown

by the first step expression.

42
3. EQUALIZATION METHOD
The equalization method consists of clearing the same unknown in both equations and then equalizing
the obtained expressions.
So we have to follow four steps.
2 x + y = 2
Follow the steps on the right to solve this system: 
− x + y = 1

First step: We clear the same unknown in both

equations.

Second step: We equalize both expressions.

Third step: We solve the resulting equation.

Fourth step: We calculate the other unknown by

one of the first step expressions.

43
4. REDUCTION OR ELIMINATION METHOD
This method uses the properties of equalities in order to get two equations with two opposite
coefficients for the same unknown.
Then we add one equation to the other and we get an equation with only one unknown. Our goal is
achieved!
We have to do the following steps.
 2 x − 3y = 18
Follow the steps on the right to solve this system: 
 −5 x + 2 y = −23

First: We multiply every equation by a suitable

number in order to get two opposite coefficients.

Second: We add one equation to another.

Third: We solve the resulting equation.

Fourth: We work out the other unknown by one of

the initial equations.

44
5. PROBLEM RESOLUTION
The way to solve a problem is to translate the problem into algebraic language. For example, we are going
to solve the following problem:
I paid €24 for a 2 kg package of nuts. The package is a mixture of almonds and raisins. If the almonds
are €16 per kilo and the raisins are €6 per kilo. How many kilos does the package have of each?
Follow the steps on the right to solve this problem:

First: We locate the unknown values and we

name everyone with a different letter or
unknown.

Second: We get the equations by translating

the instructions into symbolic language.

Third: We solve the resulting system of

equations.

Fourth: We answer the problem questions

according to the result.

45
 PROBLEMS AND EXERCISES

1. Solve the system by the three methods: substitution, equalization and reduction

2𝑥 + 5𝑦 = 1 2𝑥 − 3𝑦 = −1 4𝑥 + 𝑦 = −3 2𝑥 − 𝑦 = −4
a) { b){ c) { d) {
−𝑥 + 𝑦 = 3 𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 3 −3𝑥 + 𝑦 = 11 2𝑥 − 4𝑦 = −9

3𝑥 − 2𝑦 = 1 𝑥 − 4𝑦 = −5 𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 5
𝑒) { f) { g) {
−4𝑥 − 𝑦 = 0 3𝑥 − 8𝑦 = 1 5(𝑥 − 𝑦) − 3𝑥 + 𝑦 = 10

7𝑥 − 4𝑦 = 3 2𝑥 − 3𝑦 = −5 4 + 𝑥 = 2𝑦
g) { i) { k) {
3𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 5 4𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 14 2𝑥 − 𝑦 = 1

𝑥+1 𝑦−1
𝑥−𝑦=2 𝑥−𝑦=5 − =1
l) { m) { n) { 3 2
2𝑥 + 𝑦 = 19 𝑥 + 2𝑦 = −1 7𝑥 − 4(𝑥 + 𝑦) = 4

PROBLEM RESOLUTION

2. What are the sides of a rectangle knowing that its base is three times its height and the surface area is
48 cm2?

3. What is the area of a rectangle knowing that its perimeter is 16 cm and its base is three times its
height?

4. A hotel has 50 rooms and 87 beds. Knowing that there are only single rooms and double rooms, how
many rooms are there of each type?

5. A hotel has 45 rooms and 115 beds. Knowing that there are only double rooms and triple rooms, how
many rooms are there of each type? Write the equations and then solve the system.

6. John purchased a computer and a TV for $2,000 and later sold both items for $2,260. How much did
each item cost, knowing that John sold the computer for 10% more than the purchase price, and the
TV for 15% more?

7. A farm has pigs and turkeys, in total there are 58 heads and 168 paws. How many pigs and turkeys
are there?

8. John says to Peter, "I have double the amount of money that you have" and Peter replies, "if you give
me six dollars we will have the same amount of money". How much money does each have?

9. The price of two appliances is $3,500. But the first item has a 10% discount and the second a 8%
discount, then the final price is $3,170. What is the original price of each item?

10. Find a two-digit number knowing that its digit in the tens column minus 5 is the same digit in the ones
column and if the order of the digits is reversed, the number obtained is equal to the first number,
minus 27.

11. 3 kilos of oranges and 2 kilos of apples cost €9 while 2 kilos of oranges and 2 kilos of apples cost €7,
what is the cost of each fruit per kilo? (Write the equations that represent the situation and solve the
system.)

46
 UNIT 7. PROPORTIONALITY AND PERCENTAGES
1. RATIO AND PROPORTION

A ratio is a comparison of two numbers. We generally separate the two numbers in the ratio with a colon
(:) or write it as a fraction.
Example: Suppose we want to write the ratio of 8 and 12. We can write this as 8:12 or as 8/12, and we say
the ratio is eight to twelve.
We can simplify ratios as we simplify fractions.
Example: 8:12 is equivalent to 2:3

A proportion is one equality with a ratio on each side.

2 8
Example = We say: 2 is to 3 as 8 is to 12
3 12

When one of the four numbers in a proportion is unknown, we have to use cross products to find the
unknown number. Examples:

2 6
= 2 x = 6·7 x = 21
7 x
2. PROPORTIONALITY BETWEEN TWO MAGNITUDES

We say that there is a direct proportionality between two magnitudes if when we multiply (or divide) one
magnitude by a number, the other is multiplied (or divided) by the same number.

Examples:
– The number of sweets that I buy and the price.

– The measure of the side of a square and its perimeter.

– But the measure of the side of a square and its area is not a direct proportionality.

We say that there is an inverse proportionality between two magnitudes if when we multiply (or divide)
one magnitude by a number, the other is divided (or multiplied) by the same number.

Examples:
– The number of painters that paint a house and the time they take to do it.

– In a trip, the speed of the car and the time that it takes to cover the distance.

3. RULES OF THREE
In a problem of proportionality, if we don’t know one datum in a proportion and we know the other three,
we can calculate the unknown datum using cross-product. We call it rule of three.
If the proportionality is direct, we call it direct rule of three, and if it is inverse we call it inverse rule of
three.

3.1. Direct rule of three

1. Adrian finds that in each delivery of 500 bricks there are 20 broken bricks. How many bricks
are broken in a delivery of 7500?
500 20
500 bricks → 20 broken =
7500 x
7500 bricks → x broken 500· x = 7500·20
7500·20
x= = 300 300 bricks are broken 47
500
2. In a drink of 200 ml of fruit juice there are 140 ml of water. How many litres of water are there
in 3 litres of that drink?
200 ml →140 ml water
3000 ml → x ml water
3000·140
x= = 2100
200
There are 2,1 litres of water
3.2. Inverse rule of three

1. A truck that can carry 3 tons needs 15 trips to carry a certain amount of sand. How many trips
are needed to carry the same amount of sand with another truck that can carry 5 tons?
3 x
3 tons →15 trips =
5 15
5 tons → x trips 3·15 = 5· x
3·15
x= =9 9 trips are needed
5
2. Two hydraulic shovels make the trench for a telephone cable in ten days. How long will it take
to make the trench with 5 shovels?
2 shovels →10 days 2·10 = 5· x
2·10
5 shovels → x days x= =4
5
It will take 4 days
3.3. Compound rule of three

We say that we have compound proportionality when we have more than 2 magnitudes.

1. A farmer has needed 294 kilos of food to feed 15 cows for a week. How many kilos of food
does the farmer need to feed 10 cows for 30 days?
- We have to identify the magnitudes
- We have to order magnitudes and data.
- We have to identify the proportionality relationship between the magnitude to the unknown
datum and the others.
NOTE: It is useful to put the magnitude with the unknown datum in the last position.

____________ direct _________________

 
 _________direct____ 
   
COWS DAYS KILOS
15 → 7 → 294
10 → 30 → x

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 15 7 294 10 ·30 · 294
· = → x= = 840
10 30 x 15 · 7
The farmer needs 840 kilos of food

2. A team of workers will build a wall of 400 m2 in 15 days if they work 8 hours everyday. How
long will they take if the wall has 600 m2 and they work 10 hours everyday?

____________ direct _________________

 
 _________inverse___ 
   
m2 HOURS/DAY DAYS
400 → 8 → 15
600 → 10 → x

400 10 15 15 · 600 ·8
· = → x= = 18
600 8 x 400 ·10
They need 18 days
4. PERCENTAGES

A percentage is a ratio of a number to 100. A percentage is expressed using the symbol %. A percentage is
also equivalent to a fraction with denominator 100. Examples:
10 1 15 15 ·%
500 1
10% = = 15% of 500 = ·500 = = = 75
100 10 100
100 100
To convert a percentage into a decimal, we only have to divide the percentage by 100.
To convert a decimal into a percentage, we have to multiply by 100%.
Examples:
17
17% = = 0,17
100
1
0,1 = = 0,1·100% = 10%
10
3
= 0, 6 = 0, 6·100% = 60%
5
Some percentages are very common and we must know them:

• 100% is the same number.

• 50% is one half of the number.

• 25% is one quarter of the number.

• 20% is one fifth of the number.

• 10% is one tenth of the number.

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In a problem with percentages, we always use a direct rule of three.
1. A magazine for teenagers sells 110.000 copies each month. The company president wants to increase the
sales by 6%. How many extra magazines will they have to sell to reach this goal?

110.000·6
110.000 copies → 100% x= = 6.600
100
x copies → 6% They have to sell 6.600 copies

2. A company is building a new highway, and now they have finished 63 km, which is 35% of the total. How
many kilometres will the new highway have?

63·100
63 km → 35% x= = 180
35
x km → 100% The new highway has 180 km

3. Karen bought an antique vase two years ago. Today, its value has increased by 25% and it
costs 150€. What is the old value of the vase?

150·100
150 € → 125% x= = 120
125
x € → 100% The old value of the vase is 120 €

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PROBLEMS AND EXERCISES

Direct proportion

5. Anne buys 5 kg of potatoes at the market. If 2 kg cost $ 0,80, how much does Anne pay?
6. A clock gains 4 minutes every 28 h. How long does it gain every week?
7. On a piece of paper 20cmx30cm we want to draw a building plan whose dimensions are
8. 150m x 400 m. What scale would you use?

9. Through the shadow study, how tall is the pyramid?

Rayos
Sol

1m

70m 90m 1'2m

10. A 1200 km trip by plane was €250. How much will a 1800 km trip be?
11. A watch loses 2 minutes every 14 h. How long does it lose every week?
12. A room is 20 m2 and there are 12 units in the radiator. How many units do we need to put in a 4m2
bathroom?
13. A 250g packet of chips is €2.15 and a 900g packet is €7.20.
a) Is the second cheaper per gram than the first?
b) What is the constant of proportionality for each?
c) What are the savings per kilo choosing the second type of package?

14. A 300 km trip by train was €25. How much will a 450 km trip be?

15. A fish farmer calculates the number of fish in this way:

He takes out 300 fishes from the pool and makes a spot on them giving them back to the pool again. A
day later he takes out 300 fishes again and notices there are only 15 fishes with the spot. How many
fishes are there in the pool approximately?

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 16. Astronomic unit (a.u.) is the distance between the Earth and the Sun (150 million kilometres).
Calculate with the calculator the a.u. for each planet according to the next chart.
Planets Milli ons km a. u. Planets Millio ns km a.u.
Mer cury 58 Jupiter 780
Venus 108 Saturn 1430
Earth 150 Ur anium 2870
Mar s 228 Neptuno 4500
Asteroids 400 Pluton 5910

Inverse proportion
17. 4 taps can fill a tank in 70 minutes. How long does it take to fill the tank using 7 taps?
18. 6 taps can fill a tank in 60 minutes. How long does it take to fill the tank with 15 taps?
19. Is there proportionality among these variables according to the data? What kind of proportionality is
there and what is the constant of proportionality?
x y
2 10
5 4
20 1

20. 10 taps fill a water tank in 4 hours.

a)How long does it take to fill it with 8 taps?
b)If it takes 1 h to fill it, how many taps are working?

Percentages

21. Calculate:
a) 28 % de 40 b) 34 % de 65 c) 130 % de 12 d) 45 % de 120
e) 4,5 % de 32,8 f) 93 % de 40 g) 65 % de 40 h) 28 % de 58
22. Calculate the value of x:
a) 45 % of x = 27 b) 65 % of x = 52 c) 93 % of x = 74.4 d) 85 % of x = 76.5
e) x % of 120 = 24 f) x % de 1000 = 60 g) x % of 700= 105 h) x % of 65 = 7.8

23. A greengrocer sold 140 Kg of apples last year. But this year he sold a 20% more. How many kg has he
sold this year?
24. The fever killed 22% of animals on a farm. Today there are 273 animals, how many animals were
there before the fever?
25. The price of a computer is $1200. How much does a man pay in total if it has a 16% discount?

26. A hotel has 50 rooms and 35 of them are occupied. What percentage of the hotel is occupied?

27. A population has increased from 75000 people to 75820 people in a year. What is the increased ratio
in %?
28. We heard the RPI (Retail Price Index) has increased 2.5% last year. If I spent €15000 last year, what could
my new expenses be this year?

29. In spring a reservoir contained 5000 m3 of water, but in summer the reservoir contains 80% less water.
How many cubic meters of water does it contain in summer?

30. In the English exam, Paula has 76 correct answers our of 80. What percentage of answers is correct? What
is her mark out of 10?

31. Adela buys a skirt that normally costs €80. At the till they give her a 10 % discount. How much is the
discount in euros? How much does she pay

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Compound proportion

32. 5 workers working 6 hours a day build a wall in 2 days. How many days do 4 workers take working 7
hours a day?
33. 5 workers, working 8 hours a day, do a job in 15 days. How many hours a day would 3 workers have to
spend to finish the same work in 20 days?

34. You walked 5 hours a day for 4 days to do a 68 km trek. If you walk 7 hours a day for 5 days, what
distance will you cover?

35. They spent €540 to feed 36 teenagers for 12 days in a Camp. How much would it be to feed 58 teenagers
for 26 days?

Review

36. A fabric softener bottle (bote de suavizante) costs 2,16€. We find an offer where we pay only a 75% for
the second bottle. How much do two bottles cost?

37. A pair of trousers cost €30 last week. Now they are offered with an 80% off. What is the price now?

38. After a 12% discount, we have paid €44 for a videogame. What was its price before the discount?

39. 20 cows consume 600kg of feed in three weeks. How many kg. of feed do 30 cows consume in one month
(4 weeks)?

40. During a sale, a shirt was marked down from $70 to $56. What was the percent decrease?

41. Distribute $510 between two brothers directly to their final marks, Juan got 8 points and Virginia got 9
points. [Sol: Juan: 240; Virginia: 270]

42. We have paid two teams €6300 for clearing a forest. There are 12 people in the first team and they worked
for 5 days. In the second, there are 15 people and they worked for 10 days. How much should receive each
team? [Sol: 1stteam: €1800; 2nd team €4500.]

43. What percent was a television set reduced if it was marked $225 and sold for $195?

44. Distribute €153 profit (beneficio) among three shop assistants, proportionally to the hours spent in the
shop. Angela: 4h, Rodrigo: 3h, Lidia: 2h. [Sol: €68, €51, €34]

45. The U.S. Postal Service handles 170,000,000,000 pieces of mail each year. This is 40% of the world’s total.
How many pieces of mail are sent each year?

46. A bike is on sale for $170. This is 80% of the regular price. Find the regular price

47. During a flu epidemic, 146 students out of the 680 who attend Lincoln Middle School were absent. What
percent were absent?

48. If you answered 37 items correctly on a test, and received a score of 74%, how many items were on the
test?

49. 85% of the students who take College Algebra pass the course. How many fail out of 140 students?

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50. Indicate the type of proportionality and complete:

Magnitude A 1 2 3 7 Magnitude A 1 2 3 4
Magnitude B 5 10 60 Magnitude B 18 9 10

Magnitude A 1 2 3 4 6 Magnitude A 2 4 6 10
Magnitude B 12 2 Magnitude B 5 25

51. 35 workers take 16 days to make a fence. How many days will it take 28 workers to raise another?

52. A car takes 6 hours to travel some route at a speed of 90km/h. How long would it take it to travel that
route, driving at a speed of 60 km/h?

53. Four members of a family spend €7200 every 6 months. How many people could live 9 months with
€21600?

54. A container is full of 1200 bags of potatoes 4 kg each. If the bag were 5 kg each, how many bags do
we need to fill the container?

55. Of the 800 students at a school, 600 attend a trip. What is the percentage of students who remain at
the school?

56. Calculate:
a) 93 % de 50 b) 115 % de 30 c) 25 % de 70 d) 325 % de 60

57. Calculate the value of x:

a) x % of 400 = 32 b) x % of 220 = 70.4 c) x % of 85 = 17 d) x % of 42 = 2.52
e) 30 % of x = 24 f) 55 % of x = 22 g) 20 % of x= 40 h) 28 % of x = 84

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 UNIT 8. GEOMETRY

1. THE PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM

In a right-angled triangle, the side opposite the right angle is called the hypotenuse. The two sides that
form the right angle are called cathetus or legs.
Pythagorean Theorem: in a right triangle, the addition of the squares of the lengths of the cathetus equals
the square of the length of the hypotenuse.

Example 1: If b = 4 and c = 3, find out the hypotenuse:

a 2 = b2 + c2 a 2 = 32 + 42 = 9 + 16 = 25
a = 25 = 5 The length of the hypotenuse is 5

Example 2: If a = 13 and c = 5, find out the other cathetus:

a 2 = b2 + c2 132 = b 2 + 52 b 2 = 132 − 52 = 144

b = 144 = 12 → The length of the other cathetus is 12

Example 3: Which is the length of the diagonal of a rectangle with base 24 cm and height 10cm

a 2 = 242 + 102 = 676 a = 676 = 26

The length of the diagonal is 26 cm

2. SIMILAR FIGURES

Two figures are similar when the only difference between them is their size. Then, the corresponding
segments are proportional. It means that we obtain each length in one of them by multiplying the
corresponding length in the other one by a fixed number. This fixed number is called similarity ratio.

55
We actually use the similarity of figures in plans, maps and models. Here the similarity ratio is called scale.

3. THALES’ THEOREM
Two triangles are similar when they have equal angles and proportional sides.

THALES’ THEOREM: If we have three parallel straight lines, a, b and c, and they cut other two ones, r
and r’, then they produce proportional segments :

AB BC
=
A ' B ' B 'C '

When two triangles have a common angle and they have parallel opposite sides, we say that they are in
Thales position:

Then they are similar ones and have proportional sides

To check that two right triangles are similar, it is enough if one of their acute angles is equal or two of
their corresponding sides are proportional:

56
4. AREAS AND PERIMETERS OF PLANE FIGURES

The perimeter of a polygon is the distance around the outside of a shape. For example:
- Square: P = 4 · w
- Rectangle: P = 2l + 2w

58. SPACE FIGURES (3 dimensional figures)

Space figures are figures whose points do not all lie in the same plane. In this unit, we'll study
polyhedrons, the cylinder, the cone, and the sphere.

5.1. Polyhedrons

Polyhedrons are space figures with flat surfaces, called faces, which are made of polygons. Prisms and
pyramids are examples of polyhedrons.

A prism is a polyhedron that is limited by two equal polygons called bases and parallelograms called
lateral faces.

The height of the prism is the distance between the planes that contain the bases.

If the bases are triangles, squares, rectangles, pentagons, we call it triangular prism, square prism,
rectangular prism (cuboid), pentagonal prism,…

The area of a prism is the addition of all the areas of its faces.
Example: Development of a right prism and its area.

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A pyramid is a polyhedron that is limited by a base and whose lateral faces are triangles with a common
vertex called vertex of the pyramid.

The height of a pyramid is the distance between the vertex and the plane which contains the base.
A pyramid is regular when the base is regular and the vertex projects itself in the center of the polygon.

In a regular pyramid all the lateral edges have the same length and all the lateral faces are equal isosceles
triangles. The height of these triangles is called apothem of the pyramid.

The area of a pyramid is the addition of the areas of all of its faces.

5.2. Cylinder
A cylinder is the space figure that is generated by a rectangle turning around one of its sides.

5.3. Cone
A cone is the space figure that is generated by a right triangle turning around one of its cathetus.

A = π r2 + π r g (g = slant height)

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AREA AND VOLUME FORMULAS OF SPACE FIGURES

59
 PYTHAGORAS’S THEOREM

1. Calculate the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle whose other sides measure 30 cm and 16 cm.

2. The legs of a right-angled triangle measure 15 cm and 20 cm. Find the length of the hypotenuse.
3. The hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle measures 34 dm and one of its legs measures 30 dm. Work out
the other leg.

4. A television is 4:3 format and the diagonal is 20 inches. What are the length and width?
5. Find the height of an isosceles triangle whose base measures 20 cm and whose equal sides measure 26
cm each.

6. The perpendicular height to the unequal side of an isosceles triangle is 30 cm and this side is 32 cm.
Find the length of the two equal sides.

7. The two equal sides of an isosceles triangle measure 50 cm and the perpendicular height to its unequal
side is 38 cm. Find the length of this side.

8. Find the length of the unknown side of this right-angled trapezium. Do the same for the other.

9. The bases of a right-angled trapezium measure 20 m and 38 m. Its height is 13 m. Calculate its
perimeter.
10. Find the lengths of the unknown sides of this isosceles trapezium

11. The bases of an isosceles trapezium measure 23 cm and 58 cm. The two equal sides measure 21
cm. Calculate its height.
12. Calculate the length of the sides of a rhombus with known diagonals of d and d’.

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13. Calculate the apothem of a regular polygon with a known side of l and a radius of r.

14. We know that one diagonal of a rhombus is 80 cm and the length of its sides is 62 cm.
Calculate the length of the other diagonal.
15. The side of a regular octagon measures 10 cm and its apothem is 12 cm. What is the radius?
16. Determine whether the following triangles are right-angled triangles by Pythagoras. The picture
isn’t accurate to reality. Could you tell what kind of triangle is each according to its angles?

17. Find the length of the unknown side for each of the following right-angled triangles. If the result is
not integer, express it as a decimal number.

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 RELATIONS BETWEEN SIMILAR FIGURES

1. These two shapes are similar. Measure and

compare their sides. What is the similarity
ratio?

2. Take measurements and write down the similarity

ratio of the second triangle with respect to the first.
What is the surface ratio?

3. This is the floor plan of a flat. It is drawn to a scale

of 1:400. This means that the actual lengths are
really 400 times bigger than they appear on the
plan. In other words, 1 cm on the plan
corresponds to 4 metre in the real life.
a. Calculate the dimensions of the entire
flat as well as of the rooms.
b. Calculate the surface of the plan and the real
surface.

4. A cuboid shaped package is 8 cm long, 25 cm high and 5 cm wide.

a) Calculate the total surface area.
b) Calculate the volume.
A similar package is 10 cm long.
c) What is the similarity ratio?
d) Calculate the dimensions for this new package, that is, the height and the width.
e) Calculate the surface ratio and the volume ratio.

5. A cuboid shaped package is 4 cm long, 25 cm high and 5 cm wide.

a) Calculate the total surface area.
b) Calculate the volume.
A similar package is 8 cm long. c) What is the similarity ratio?
d) Calculate the dimensions for this new package, that is, the height and the width.
e) Calculate the surface ratio and the volume ratio.

6. You have a small marble statue of Wolfgang Mozart that is 4 dm tall. The original statue in Vienna
is 2 m tall.
a. What is the similarity ratio?
b. The width of your statue is 40 cm, what is the real width?
c. What is the surface ratio between the two statues?
d. Your statue has a volume of 2.4 dm3. Estimate the volume of the original statue.

62
7. Are similar two triangles with these sides?
6, 9, 5 and 12, 18 ,10

8. Complete the measures (lengths) of the sides in these triangles to be similar:

3 cm 6 cm

2 cm
4 cm 10 cm

9. What is the height of the tree? Use these data: height and shadow of the statue:3 m and 4 m. respectively;
shadow of the tree: 6 m

10. Draw a segment with a length of 5 cm and divide it into 7 parts.

2
11. A square has an area of 4 cm . What is the area of another square with a side:
a)double? b) half?

12. Find similar triangles among these right-angled ones:

63º 41º 27º 45º 49º

47º

13. The length of a road on a map with a scale of 1:500 000 is 8 cm. What is its real length?

14. The distance between Sevilla and Madrid is about 540 km. What is this distance on a map with a scale of
1:150 000

15. Calculate the distance between Tribeca and City Hall

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16. There are four sets of similar triangles below. Can you work out the lengths of the sides marked with a
question mark

17. Measuring the length of the shadow of a stick, we can calculate the height of a tree. Calculate the height
of the tree from the picture below considering that the length of the stick is 1.25 m its shadow is 1.52 m
and the shadow of the tree is 6.3 m

64
 PLANE FIGURES - WORD PROBLEMS
1. A cardboard (carton) envelope for a CD is a square with an area of 171.61 square centimetres. What are
the dimensions of the envelope? Round to the nearest tenth.

2. Carmen wants to buy fencing (valla) to enclose a square garden with an area of 500 square metres. Each
metre costs 4€. How much fencing does she need to buy? How much is it?

3. Berta has a piece of paper measuring 8.5 inches by 8.5 inches. If she folds the paper diagonally in
half, how long is the folded side? Round to the nearest tenth. [1 inch=2.54cm]

4. A wire (cable) 10 meters long is supporting a utility pole (palo). The wire is anchored
(anclado) to the ground and is attached to the pole 9 meters above the ground. What is
the distance from the bottom of the pole to the point where the wire is attached to the
ground? Round to the nearest tenth.

5. Rocío wants to build a ramp that will rise 4 feet over a horizontal distance of 20 feet. How long will the ramp
be? Round to the nearest tenth. [1foot=30.48cm]

6. Melody bicycles 6 kilometres west to get from her house to school. After school, she bicycles 8
kilometres north to her friend Linda's house. How far is Melody's house from Linda's house, measured in
a straight line?

7. A hummingbird's nest (nido de un colibrí) is 16 meters high in a tree and a flower is on the ground 12
metres away from the base of the tree. How far will the hummingbird need to fly to get from its nest
to the flower?

8. Dave is building a slide for his kids. The ladder is 3 meters tall and the slide is 5 meters long. What
is the distance between the ladder and the bottom of the slide?

9. Stacy's drink coaster (posavasos) has a diameter of 6 cm. What is the coaster's area?

10. Estimate the area of the top of a round pizza that has a diameter of 16 inches.

2
11. The lens of a telescope has a surface of 3.14 m . What is the lens's diameter?

2
12. A cathedral has a large, circular stained-glass window (vidriera). It has an area of 12.56m . What is the
window's diameter?

13. Norwood is 12 kilometres due north (justo al norte) of the airport, and Morristown is 16 kilometres due
east of the airport. How far apart are Norwood and Morristown?

14. Luisa wants to make the International Marine Signal flag shown which
represents the number six. What is the area of the flag?

15. Arkansas has a shape that is similar to a trapezoid with bases of about 182 miles and 267 miles and
a height of about 254 miles. Estimate the area of the state.

16. Each side of a square office is 3 meters long. It will cost €49.38 per square meter to replace
the carpet in the office. What would be the total cost to replace the carpet?

17. A school wants to buy a chalkboard which measures 1 meter by 2 meters. The chalkboard costs $42.00
per square meter. How much will the chalkboard cost?

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