The City School

University Road Campus

Math Worksheet, Topic: Solutions to Quadratics Equations
Name: ______________________ Class: 9 O’level Sec: ______ Date: ______________
Question 1:
London is 320 km from York.
A train travels from York to London at an average speed of x kilometres per hour.

(a) Write down an expression, in terms of x, for the time taken, in hours, for this train to travel
from York to London.

Answer ................................. h [1]

(b) A car travels from York to London.

The average speed of the car is 80 km/h slower than the average speed of the train.

Write down an expression, in terms of x, for the time taken, in hours, for the car to travel
from York to London.

Answer ..................................h [2]

(c) The car took 2 hours longer than the train.
Form an equation in x and show that it simplifies to x2 – 80x – 10240 = 0.

[3]
(d) Solve this equation, giving each solution correct to 1 decimal place.

Answer x = ............... or ............... [4]

(e) Hence find the time taken by the train to travel from York to London.
Give your answer in hours and minutes, correct to the nearest minute.

Answer ........ hours ........ minutes [2]

November 2012 P21, Q10
Question 2:
a) In an athletics match Ben won the 100 m race in 9.98 s and Calvin won the 200 m race in 19.94 s.

What is the difference in their average speeds?

Give your answer in metres per second, correct to two decimal places.

Answer ......................................... m/s [2]

b) Two cars each complete a journey of 120 km.
The first car is driven at an average speed of x km/h.
The second car is driven at an average speed 3 km/h faster than the first car.
The first car takes 6 minutes longer to complete the journey.

(i) Write down an equation in x and show that it simplifies to x2 + 3x – 3600 = 0.

[3]
 (ii) Solve the equation x2 + 3x – 3600 = 0, giving each answer correct to one decimal place.

Answer x = .................. or .................. [3]

(iii) How many minutes does the first car take to travel the 120 km?

Answer ................................. minutes [2]

June 2013 P21, Q7
Question 3:
(b) The product of three numbers 4, x and (x + 3) is 55.
Form an equation in x and solve it to find the possible values of x.

Answer x = ............... or ...............[3]

(c) (i) given that show that x2 – 2x – 23 = 0.

[2]
2
(ii) Solve x – 2x – 23 = 0.
Give your answers correct to one decimal place.

Answer x = ............... or ...............[3]

June 2012 P21, Q3(b,c)