Quiz: Forming Algebraic Expressions

1. A number is represented by x. How would we represent:

a) 2 more than the number.
b) 5 times the number.
c) 3 less than twice the number.
d) Twice as much as 3 less than the number.
e) A quarter of the number.

2. The cost of a badger is b pence. A racoon is 5 pence more expensive than a badger and a
beaver three times as expensive as a badger.
a) What is the cost of a racoon?
b) What is the cost of a beaver?
c) What is the total cost of a racoon and 8 beavers?

3. You have 7 consecutive numbers, with the smallest number n .a) What are the 7 numbers
in terms of n?
b) Hence what is the sum of all the numbers?

4. After tennis training, Andy collects twice as many balls as Roger and five more than
Maria. If Roger collected r balls, in terms of r, how many balls did:
a) Andy collect?
b) Maria collect?
c) The total number of balls collected?

5. I think of a number, multiply it by 5, subtract 2, subtract the original number, and then
halve it. If the starting number was x, give an expression for the final answer, as simply
as possibly.
6. In a list of seven consecutive numbers a quarter of the smallest number is five less than a
third of the largest number. If x is the smallest number, find expressions for:
a) “a quarter of the smallest number”
b) “five less than a third of the largest number”

7. Pippa thinks of a number. She adds 1 to it to get a second number. She then adds 2 to the
second number to get a third number, adds 3 to the third to get a fourth, and finally adds 4
to the fourth to get a fifth number.
If n is the number she started with, what is the sum of her numbers?

8. Alice is 7 years younger than Bob. In 4 years time she will be half Bob’s age.
Let Alice’s age be a and Bob’s b.
a) Use the first sentence to write an equation for Alice’s age in terms of Bob’s.
b) Use the second sentence to write another equation for Alice’s age in terms of Bob’s.

9. Let a be the age of the youngest child.

a) Use the second sentence in the question to form an expression for the eldest child (be
careful!)
b) Use the first sentence to form another expression for the age of the eldest child.
c) (Optional) Hence form an equation and solve it to find the age of the youngest child.
10. Three brothers and a sister shared a sum of money equally among themselves. If the
brothers alone had shared the money, then they would have increased the amount they
each received by £20. Suppose the total amount of money is t.
a) How much money (in terms of t) do the brothers each get if they share just
between them?
b) What expression would represent “an increase of £20 from the previous lower
amount they would have got”.

11. [JMC 2014 Q20] Box P has p chocolates and box Q has q chocolates, where p and q are
both odd and p>q. What is the smallest number of chocolates which would have to be
moved from P to box Q so that box Q has more chocolates than box P?
q−p +2 p−q +2 q+ p−2
A B C
2 2 2
p−q−2 q+ p+2
D E
2 2

12. [JMO 2007 B1] Find four integers whose sum is 400 and such that the first integer is
equal to twice the second integer, three times the third integer and four times the fourth
integer.