Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

MST124 Essential mathematics 1

MST124

TMA 01 2023B
Covers Units 1 and 2 Cut-off date 1 March 2023

You should submit this TMA electronically as a single PDF file using
the University’s online TMA/EMA service.

You will find information about TMAs in the ‘Assessment’ area of the
MST124 website. Please read that information before beginning work on this
TMA.
If you have a disability that makes it difficult for you to attempt any of these
questions, then please contact your Student Support Team or your tutor for
advice.
The work that you submit should include your working as well as your final
answers.
Your solutions should not involve the use of Maxima, except in those parts of
questions where this is explicitly required or suggested. Your solutions
should not involve the use of any other mathematical software.
Your work should be written in a good mathematical style, as described in
Section 6 of Unit 1, and as demonstrated by the example and activity
solutions in the study units. Two marks (referred to as good mathematical
communication, or GMC, marks) on this TMA are allocated for how well
you do this.
Your score out of 2 for GMC will be recorded against Question 6. You do
not have to submit any work for Question 6.

Copyright
19.1
© 2023 The Open University WEB 12861 1
PLAGIARISM WARNING – the use of assessment help services and websites

The work that you submit for any assessment/examination on any module should
be your own. Submitting work produced by or with another person, or a web service or an
automated system, as if it is your own is cheating. It is strictly forbidden by the
University.

You should not:

ˆ provide any assessment question to a website, online service, social media platform or any
individual or organisation, as this is an infringement of copyright.
ˆ request answers or solutions to an assessment question on any website, via an online
service or social media platform, or from any individual or organisation.
ˆ use an automated system (other than one prescribed by the module) to obtain answers or
solutions to an assessment question and submit the output as your own work.
ˆ discuss examination questions with any other person, including your tutor.

The University actively monitors websites, online services and social media platforms for
answers and solutions to assessment questions, and for assessment questions posted by
students. Work submitted by students for assessment is also monitored for plagiarism.

A student who is found to have posted a question or answer to a website, online service or
social media platform and/or to have used any resulting, or otherwise obtained, output as if it
is their own work has committed a disciplinary offence under Section SD 1.2 of our Code of
Practice for Student Discipline. This means the academic reputation and integrity of
the University has been undermined.

The Open University’s Plagiarism policy defines plagiarism in part as:

ˆ using text obtained from assignment writing sites, organisations or private individuals.
ˆ obtaining work from other sources and submitting it as your own.

If it is found that you have used the services of a website, online service or social
media platform, or that you have otherwise obtained the work you submit from
another person, this is considered serious academic misconduct and you will be
referred to the Central Disciplinary Committee for investigation.

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TMA 01 Cut-off date 1 March 2023

Question 1 – 15 marks
You should be able to answer this question after studying Unit 1.
(a) Simplify the following expression:
5a2 b3 4a2 − 3b 4a2 + 3b



where a, b ̸= 0 and b ̸= ± 4a2 3 .

[3]
16a5 b2 − 9ab4

(b) Rationalise the denominator in the following expression, simplifying

your answer as far as possible:
√
16
√ √ [3]
12 + 8

(c) Simplify the expression:

4
143 x1/3 y −2

2 where x, y > 0. [3]
23 7x−3/4 y

(d) Solve the following equation, stating any assumptions you have made
about the value of x:
8 6
− =0 [3]
3x − 2 x + 4

(e) Rearrange the following equation to make y the subject:

p
F = x2 + y 2 where y > 0. [3]

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Question 2 – 8 marks
You should be able to answer this question after studying Unit 1.
(a) Consider the following TMA question and a student’s attempt at a
solution.

Question
The local rowing club wishes to hold a party to celebrate its recent
race win. They have the choice of two venues:

Venue one: Costs £45 to hire and £4.95 per person for refreshments.
Venue two: Free to hire, but charges £6.50 per person for refreshments.

(i) Find a formula for the total cost to hire each venue.
(ii) If 50 people attend the party, which venue will be cheaper to hire?

Solution
y = 45 + 4.95x
y = 45 + 4.95 ∗ 50 = 292.5

y = 6.5x
y = 325

venue one is cheapest.

(i) Criticise the solution, explaining why it is difficult to follow. [2]

(ii) Write out a better solution. [3]
(b) Consider the following TMA question and the correct solutions written
by two different students, one who is studying for a maths degree and
one who is studying for a physics degree. Both solutions were awarded
full marks for accuracy and mathematical communication.

Question
An artist is making an exhibition piece comprising a cylinder and a
cube, where they wish the cube to have the same surface area as the
cylinder. The cylinder has already been made and has a diameter of
30 cm and a height of 45 cm. How long should the side of the cube be
to have the same surface area as the cylinder? Give your answer to one
decimal place.

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Well-written solution 1

The surface area of the cylinder is

2π × 152 cm2 + 2π × 15 cm × 45 cm = 5654.866 . . . cm2

A cube with the same surface area is

6 × a2 = 5654.866 . . . cm2

Solving for a
6a2 = 5654.866 . . . cm2
a2 = 942.477 . . . cm2
√
a = 942.477 . . . cm = 30.699 . . . cm.

Hence, a cube with the same surface area as the cylinder will have a side length
of 30.7 cm (to one decimal place).

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 Well-written solution 2
Surface area of a cylinder with a radius of 15 cm and a height of 45 cm:
Surface area = 2πr2 + 2πrh
= 2π × 152 + 2π × 15 × 45 since r = 15 and h = 45
= 5654.866 . . .

Surface area of a cube of side a in cm:

Surface area = 6 × a2
This area must be the same as above for the cylinder, so
6a2 = 5654.866 . . .
a2 = 942.477 . . .
√
a = ± 942.477 . . . = ±30.699 . . . .

Choosing the positive square root because lengths cannot be negative,

the cube will have a side length of 30.7 cm (to one decimal place).

Identify three elements of good mathematical communication which are

present in both well-written solutions. [3]

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Question 3 – 10 marks
You should be able to answer this question after studying Unit 2.
(a) Show that the point (−3, −1) lies on the line with equation y = 2x + 5. [1]
(b) Find the equation of the line that has a gradient of −3 and passes
through the point (−3, 6). [2]
(c) Draw the line that you found in part (b) and the line with equation
y = 2x + 5 on the same set of axes. (You should draw this by hand
rather than using any software.) [2]
(d) Use your graph to estimate the coordinates of the point of intersection
of the two lines, giving them to the nearest integer. [1]
(e) By solving the equations of the two lines simultaneously, find the exact
coordinates of this point of intersection. [4]

Question 4 – 10 marks
You should be able to answer this question after studying Unit 2.
(a) (i) Write the quadratic expression 4x2 − 24x + 35 in completed square
form. [1]
(ii) Hence solve the equation 4x2 − 24x + 35 = 0. [2]
(iii) Using the Strategy described in Section 4.9 of Unit 2 in Book A, or
any other well defined strategy, sketch the graph of
y = 4x2 − 24x + 35. (You should sketch this by hand rather than
using any software.) [2]
(b) George produces and sells umbrellas. He finds that as the number of
umbrellas he produces increases, the cost of production per umbrella
decreases and the amount of profit per umbrella increases. However, if
he increases production too much he will not be able to sell all of the
umbrellas he produces and so his overall profit will decrease.
This can be modelled by the following formula for the overall profit P
(in pounds), where x is the number of umbrellas produced:
P = −0.004x2 + 8x − 80.
(i) If George produces 300 umbrellas, what will his overall profit be? [2]
(ii) To make an overall profit of £2000, how many umbrellas should
George produce? [3]

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Question 5 – 5 marks
You should be able to answer this question after studying the Computer
Algebra Guide, up to the end of Section 3.
You should use the computer algebra package Maxima to do each part of this
question. Include a screenshot of your Maxima worksheet with your
solutions. You are not expected to annotate your Maxima worksheet with
explanation. However, please remember that for good mathematical
communication you should present your answers clearly.
(a) Find the exact solutions of the equation
−3x5 − x4 + 23x3 − 11x2 − 20x + 12 = 0. [2]

(b) Plot the graph of the equation

y = −3x5 − x4 + 23x3 − 11x2 − 20x + 12.
Choose suitable ranges for x and y on the graph to show where the
graph crosses the x and y axes. [3]

Question 6 – 2 marks
A score out of 2 marks for good mathematical communication over the entire
TMA will be recorded under Question 6.
You do not need to submit any work for this question. [2]

Your mathematical background (optional )

You might like to take this opportunity to share with your tutor some details
of your mathematical background and your feelings about the work that you
have done so far in the module. For example, you could write three or four
lines on each of the following.
ˆ A brief indication of your previous mathematical knowledge, for
example: ‘failed GCSE maths’, ‘studied at A level but did not take the
exam’, ‘passed a HND that included maths’.
ˆ Two mathematical topics that you felt confident about at the start of
the module, and two that caused you concern. Describe how you feel
about these four topics now. Give reasons for your answers.
Providing this information may help your tutor to support you better, but
no marks are awarded for it.

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Taking stock of where you are
The start of your module is an opportune time to reflect on your learning
and education, and your personal, career and professional development. This
will help you to explore your study journey and identify areas of strengths
and areas for further support or development. Personal Development
Planning (PDP) will help you to step back and consider where you are,
where you want to be and how you will achieve your goals. Many people find
it difficult to reflect on their own performance, especially if they know that
things haven’t progressed very well. We can always learn from our mistakes
and build on our past experiences.
If you are studying for career purposes, it is essential that you are able to
market yourself to potential or current employers by reflecting and
identifying the skills developed throughout your study.
To get you started, you may like to explore resources available on the
Careers Advisory Service website:
Career Planning
https://help.open.ac.uk/browse/careers/plan-your-career
Personal Development Planning https://help.open.ac.uk/pdp
You can manage your own learning and development by planning and
preparing for your study ahead. Only you know your own learning styles and
what you want to achieve at the end of this module. You can start
identifying where you may like further support or need further information
so that you can begin to set clear goals for your study.

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