High Attainers Guidance – Forming & solving equations

Year 9
#MathsEveryoneCan
High Attainers Guidance –Year 9 – Forming and solving equations

How these materials work

For each block in the KS3 curriculum, we are providing activities to
challenge higher-attaining students to think more deeply about the Small step(s)
underlying mathematics. These mostly address two or three of the small covered in
steps at a time, and can be used either alongside the main teaching of the this activity
steps or at the end of the block as appropriate for your students. In many
cases, the activities could be used with many students, not just high
attainers, by providing appropriate scaffolding.
A notes page is provided for each activity, giving ideas and prompts for how
to use them in the classroom.

Student version
In this block…
As with the previous block, the two review steps at the start should be an
opportunity for high attainers to quickly check on prior learning before
beginning the block. This guidance focuses on subsequent steps and in
particular looks at the structure of equations and inequalities. Opportunities
are provided for students to explore forming equations and inequalities as
well as solving them so they see links between the structures. As ever,
these activities are suggested starting points and you may wish to explore
particular structures (e.g. with division) in more detail.

Teacher notes
 • Inequalities with negative numbers

Forming & solving equations Activity 1 – Rewriting negative inequalities

Given that 𝑥 < 3, what can you say about the value of −𝑥?
Verify your result by testing different values of 𝑥.

Given that 𝑦 < −2, what can you say about the value of −𝑦?
Verify your result by testing different values of 𝑦.

Which of these inequalities are equivalent?

𝑥>7 3>4−𝑥 −7 > −𝑥 3 > −(𝑥 − 4)

−3 > 4 − 𝑥 4 − 𝑥 > −3 −𝑥 > −7

Create your own sets of equivalent inequalities and challenge a partner to identify them.
 • Inequalities with negative numbers

Forming & solving equations Activity 1 – Rewriting negative inequalities Notes

This activity explores both the result of multiplying an inequality by a negative number and
writing inequalities in different forms. You may wish to discuss the meaning of 0 and −0
when comparing values.

Students must first be comfortable with the idea that 𝑥 ≥ 3 is equivalent to 3 ≤ 𝑥 and you
may wish to discuss rewriting inequalities of this form before moving on to those with
negative coefficients where reversal of he direction of the sign occurs.

When looking at the more complex inequalities, you could encourage students to use
substitution, or if you have completed the teaching of this block you could also compare
rewriting inequalities with rearranging formulae.
 • Solve equations with unknowns on both sides
• Solve inequalities with unknowns on both sides

Forming & solving equations Activity 2A – Making up equations

Use the diagram to form a series of equations in 𝑥 that have the same solution as the
equation at the centre of the diagram.
4(3𝑥 − 2) = 12

3𝑥 − 2 = 3
3𝑥 = 5

2𝑥 − 2 = 3 − 𝑥

Work with a partner starting with different initial equations to form and solve multi-step
equations.
 • Solve equations with unknowns on both sides
• Solve inequalities with unknowns on both sides

Forming & solving equations Activity 2B – Making up inequalities

Use the diagram to form a series of equations in 𝑥 that have the same solution as the
inequality at the centre of the diagram.
2𝑥 − 12 < −18

6−𝑥 >9
1 5 2−𝑥 >5
1− 𝑥 >
2 2
6 + 3𝑥 > 9 + 4𝑥

Work with a partner starting with different initial inequalities to form and solve multi-step
inequalities.
 • Solve equations with unknowns on both sides
• Solve inequalities with unknowns on both sides

Forming & solving equations Activity 2A and 2B – Making up equations/inequalities Notes

This activity develops the idea of ‘balancing’ equations and inequalities, with the students in
control of the changes from the original and the complexity of the results. This can start
from any level with the given equation in the form of a solution (𝑥 = 3 or −3) or as complex
10−𝑥
as appropriate for your class ( 4 = −3). Students should be able to generate equations
like 𝑎 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐 + 𝑑𝑥 = 𝑒 𝑓𝑥 + 𝑔 + ℎ𝑥 and multiples of this, appreciating that they can be
solved as they were formed by a simple step-by-step process.

You could do either or both of the activities depending on time and where practice is needed.

You could extend the activity further by choosing an equation or inequality with more than
one variable e.g. starting with 𝑎 + 𝑏 = 10 or 2𝑎 + 𝑏 = 10
 • Solve equations and inequalities in context

Forming & solving equations Activity 3 – Words

Here are two worded problems.

There are 97 books in three piles. A The maximum load of a lift is 800 kg. B
The first pile has 12 more books than the second pile. The mass of people in the lift in 420 kg.
The third pile has half as many books as the second pile. Tommy has mass 70 kg.
How many books are there in each pile? How many boxes of mass 12 kg can he take in the lift?

Would you represent the problems as equations or inequalities? Why?

Adjust the numbers and relationships in problem A to create your own similar problems.
How can you ensure that your problems will have integer solutions?
Why is it necessary to have integer solutions in this context?
Is problem B the same or different?

Challenge a partner with your problems in these contexts or contexts of your own choosing.
 • Solve equations and inequalities in context

Forming & solving equations Activity 3 – Words Notes

Students explore forming and solving equations and inequalities with integer and non-
integer solutions. You could discuss how to start with the numerical solution and build the
problem around that. Notice that increasing the complexity e.g. by having four or five piles in
problem A does not increase the difficulty or the method.

When students are creating their own problems in different contexts, challenge them to use
contexts from within the curriculum (e.g. probability, angles, ratio) that would benefit from
revision.

You could also discuss if/how the problems could be represented using bar models.
 • Substituting into formulae and equations
• Rearranging formulae (one-step)
• Rearranging formulae (two-step)
• Rearrange complex formulae including brackets and squares

Forming & solving equations Activity 4 – Self-inverses

Substitute a suitable value of 𝑚 into each of the formulae.

10 𝑚 3𝑚 − 5
𝑃= 𝑃 =8−𝑚 𝑃= 𝑃=
𝑚 𝑚−1 𝑚−3

Now take the resulting values of 𝑃, use them as 𝑚 and substitute them back into the
formulae.
What do you notice?
Repeat for different values of 𝑚.
Why do you think these functions are called self-inverses?
Rewrite the formulae with 𝑚 the subject. How can you generalise?

Use the structure of the given formulae to find other self-inverse functions.
Use dynamic geometry to plot their graphs. What do you notice?
 • Substituting into formulae and equations
• Rearranging formulae (one-step)
• Rearranging formulae (two-step)
• Rearrange complex formulae including brackets and squares

Forming & solving equations Activity 4 – Self-inverses notes

You may wish to discuss which values of 𝑚 are suitable for the given functions, including
why the denominator of reciprocal functions cannot be zero.
𝑎
Students should easily discover that functions of the form 𝑦 = 𝑥 and 𝑦 = 𝑎 − 𝑥 are all self-
inverses. 𝑃 and 𝑚 have been used in case these results are familiar from work in earlier
years on function machines and heir inverses.

Exploring the graphs, you may wish to provide the hint of drawing the straight line 𝑦 = 𝑥 (or
𝑃 = 𝑚 etc. ) and discuss why self-inverse functions have reflective symmetry in this line.