Australian Curriculum Sample Questions CEOWA

Task

Year: 8
Topic: The Distributive Law
(Expanding and simplifying)
Prior knowledge: Expanding and factorising,
collecting like terms

Strand: Number and Algebra

Substrand: Patterns and algebra

Algebra can be used to explain why some number tricks always work.

Try the number trick below using any starting number, then study the equivalent
algebraic expressions to see why this trick always gives an answer of 6.

Think of a number n
n+3
Add 3

2(n + 3)
Multiply by two
= 2n + 6 by expanding the bracket
Subtract twice the number you first 2n + 6 – 2n
thought of = 6 by collecting like terms

The answer is … 6
Question One

Consider the following number trick:

Think of a number

Double it

Add 8

Divide by 2

Subtract the number you first thought of

(a) Try the number trick above using any starting number.

The answer is always …………………………..

(b) Write equivalent algebraic expressions to show why this number trick always
gives the answer above.

Think of a number n

Double it

Add 8

Divide by 2

Subtract the number you first thought of

The answer is …
Question Two

Now consider this number trick:

Think of a number

Multiply by 5 and add 4

Multiply the result by 4 and add 5

Multiply this result by 5

Subtract 105

Divide by 100

(a) Try the number trick above using any starting number.

The answer is always …………………………..

(b) Write equivalent algebraic expressions to show why this number trick always
gives this result.

Think of a number

Multiply by 5 and add 4

Multiply the result by 4 and add 5

Multiply this result by 5

Subtract 105

Divide by 100

The answer is …
Question Three

This trick is more difficult:

Think of three numbers less than 10

Multiply the first number by 2 and add 3

Multiply the result by 5

Now add the second number

Multiply the result by 10

Add the third number and subtract 150

(a) (i) Try this number trick with three numbers of your choice.
Show your working below.

(ii) Try the number trick again with three different numbers.
Show your working below.
(b) How is your answer related to your original three numbers?

(c) Write equivalent algebraic expressions to show why this result comes out as it
does.

(HINT: let the numbers be a, b, c.)

Think of three numbers less than 10

Multiply the first number by 2 and add 3

Multiply the result by 5

Now add the second number

Multiply the result by 10

Add the third number and subtract 150

The answer is …