Thursday 13th January 2022

INTRODUCTION TO ALGEBRA

Mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are

commonly performed on different types of numbers (ℕ, 𝕎, ℤ, ℚ, ℚ! , ℝ). These mathematical
operations can also be performed on symbols called variables. In Algebra, variables are
primarily taken from the English and Greek alphabets:

English alphabet = {a, b, c, ... , x, y, z}

The Greek alphabet

LOWER CASE UPPER CASE
NAME
SYMBOL SYMBOL
Alpha 𝛼 Α
Beta 𝛽 Β
Gamma 𝛾 Γ
Delta 𝛿 Δ
Epsilon 𝜖 Ε
Zeta 𝜁 Ζ
Eta 𝜂 Η
Theta 𝜃 Θ
Iota 𝜄 Ι
Kappa 𝜅 Κ
Lambda 𝜆 Λ
Mu 𝜇 Μ
Nu 𝜈 Ν
Xi 𝜉 Ξ
Omicron 𝜊 Ο
Pi 𝜋 Π
Rho 𝜌 Ρ
Sigma 𝜎 Σ
Tau 𝜏 Τ
Upsilon 𝜐 Υ
Phi 𝜙 Φ
Chi 𝜒 Χ
Psi 𝜓 Ψ
Omega 𝜔 Ω
BASIC DEFINITIONS:

(a) Variable – a symbol that represents a number. For example, the variables in 3x + 2y – 5
are x and y.

3x + 2y – 5

variables

(b) Coefficient – the number attached to a variable.

(i) 3x + 2y – 5 : the coefficient of x is 3.

(ii) 3x + 2y – 5 : the coefficient is y is 2.

(iii) a = 1a : the coefficient of a is 1.

(iv) – z = – 1z : the coefficient of z is – 1.

(c) Constant – a number by itself, a value that cannot change.

(i) 2x + 3 : the constant is 3.

(ii) x2 – 2x – 7 : the constant is – 7.

(iii) 4x – 7 = 5 : the constants are – 7 and 5.

(d) Expressions and equations – an expression has no equal sign in the original problem. If an
equal sign is introduced, it will still be an expression. An equation has an equal sign in the
original problem.

4m + 2n 3x – 1 = 7
expression equation

(e) Degree of a term – the index, power or exponent of a variable.

Example 1: Determine the degree of the following terms

(i) 8𝑥 " (ii) 9𝑘 # (iii) 2a

(iv) 5 (iv) – 3𝑥 " 𝑦 # 𝑧

Solution:

(i) deg (8𝑥 " ) = 2 (ii) deg (9𝑥 # ) = 3

(iii) deg (2a) = deg (2𝑎$ ) = 1 (the index of the variable is one if no number is seen)

(iv) deg (5) = 0 (the degree of a constant is always zero)

(v) deg (– 3𝑥 " 𝑦 # 𝑧) = deg (– 3𝑥 " 𝑦 # 𝑧$ ) = 2 + 3 + 1 = 6

Example 2: Identify the variable, coefficient, constant and terms in the following expressions

(i) 4x – 12 (ii) a + 3b (iii) 5k (iv) 7x – 3y + 3z – 2

Solution:

(i) Variable = x (ii) a + 3b = 1a + 3b

Coefficient = 4 Variables = a and b

Constant = – 12 Coefficients = 1 and 3

Terms = 4x, – 12 Constant = 0

Terms = a and 3b

(iii) Variable = k (iv) Variables = x, y and z

Coefficient = 5 Coefficients = 7, – 3 and 3

Constant = 0 Constant = – 2

Term = 5k Terms = 7x, – 3y, 3z and – 2

LIKE TERMS:

Terms that have the same variables and the same degree are like terms.

5a –a 8a (like terms since the degree of all the terms is one)

𝟏 𝒛𝟐 𝒚
6𝒛𝟐 y – 2𝒛𝟐 y 𝒛𝟐 y (like terms since the degree of all the
𝟑 𝟐
terms is three)
UNLIKE TERMS:

Terms that are not like are unlike since the variables and or their variable exponents are different.

2x 3𝒙𝟐 (unlike terms since the degree of 2x is one and the degree of 3𝑥 " is 2)

– 5xy 9x𝒚𝟐 (unlike terms since the degree of – 5xy is 2 and the degree of 9x𝑦 " is 3)

LIKE TERMS UNLIKE TERMS WHY ARE THE TERMS UNLIKE?

4x + 7x 3a – 5b The variables are different

8p – 20p 2h – 4h2 Same variable but the exponents are different

11k – 8k 9m + 1 One term has a variable and the other terms is a

constant

COMBINING LIKE TERMS:

An expression can be simplified by adding like terms. Consider the following:

Combining like shapes together:

This can be done using symbols by letting t represent each triangle, c for each circle and s for
each square:

t+t+t+t+t+c+c+c+s+s

The coefficients of the variables are 1 since no numbers are attached to the variables:

1t + 1t + 1t + 1t + 1t + 1c + 1c + 1c + 1s + 1s

Add the coefficients of the like terms to simplify:

5t + 3c + 2s

This reasoning is correct since there are five triangles, three circles and two squares after putting
like shapes together.

Example 3: Simplify each of the following expressions

(a) x+x (b) 3y – 5y

(c) 2m + 7m (d) 𝜖+𝜖+𝜖–𝜖–𝜖

(e) 3x + 6y + 5x – 2y (f) 5p + 2q – 3p – 3q

(g) 2𝑥 " y – 5x𝑦 " + 3𝑥 " y – 9x𝑦 " (h) 7k – 1 – 2k + 3

Solution:

(a) x + x = 1x + 1x = 2x (b) 3y – 5y = – 2y

(c) 2m + 7m = 9m (d) 𝜖 + 𝜖 + 𝜖 – 𝜖 – 𝜖 = 3𝜖 – 2𝜖 = 𝜖

(e) 3x + 6y + 5x – 2y = 3x + 5x + 6y – 2y = 8x + 4y

(f) 5p + 2q – 3p – 3q = 5p – 3p + 2q – 3q = 2p – q

(g) 2𝒙𝟐 y – 5x𝑦 " + 3𝒙𝟐 y – 9x𝑦 " = 2𝒙𝟐 y + 3𝒙𝟐 y – 5x𝑦 " – 9x𝑦 " = 5𝒙𝟐 y – 14x𝑦 "

(h) 7k – 1 – 2k + 3 = 7k – 2k – 1 + 3 = 5k + 2
 Both like and unlike terms can be multiplied.

MULTIPLYING THE SAME VARIABLE:

If the same variable is multiplied numerous times, the result is the same symbol written with an
index, for example:

x × x = 𝒙𝟐 (x squared)
a × a × a = 𝒂𝟑 (a cubed)
p × p × p × p = 𝒑𝟒 (p to the power of 4)

MULTIPLIYING DIFFERENT VARIABLES:

If two or more of the different variables are multiplied, simply put the symbols together without
the multiplication symbol, for example:

x × y = xy
a × b = ab
x × y × z = xyz

If there are two or more different variables being multiplied and like symbols are not together,
they can be rearranged since multiplication is commutative (order does not matter):

a × b × a × b × a = a × a × a × b × b = 𝒂𝟑 × 𝒃𝟐 = 𝒂𝟑 𝒃𝟐

MULTIPLIYING CONSTANTS & VARIABLES:

The process is similar to multiplying different variables: remove the multiplication

symbol and put the number and symbol together. If more than one constant is being multiplied,
calculate the product first then multiply by the symbol. The constant becomes the coefficient of
the product, for example:

3 × b = 3b
𝒕𝟐 × 8 = 8𝒕𝟐
– 5 × a = – 5a
x × – 1 = – 1x = – x
4 × – 2 × m = – 8 × m = – 8m
– 7 × p × – 6 = – 7 × – 6 × p = 42 × p = 42p
MULTIPLYING TERMS WITH COEFFICIENT GREATER THAN ONE:

First multiply the coefficients, then multiply the variables.

2x × 2x = 𝟒𝒙𝟐
3a × 4b = 12ab
𝒌𝟐 × 3m = 3𝒌𝟐 m
2q × 5q × 7q = 70𝒒𝟑

Example 4: Simplify each of the following expressions

(a) 2×x (b) x×y

(c) 2×4×m (d) 6×8×p

(e) m×m×n (f) 2x × 3y

(g) a×a×a (h) – 3k × 2m × – 4c

(i) a × b × 2c (j) – 4 × – 3 × 𝑘"

(k) d×d×d×c×d×c (l) 2x × 3y × 4z

Solution:

(a) 2 × x = 2x (b) x × y = xy

(c) 2 × 4 × m = 8 × m = 8m (d) 6 × 8 × p = 48 × p = 48p

(e) m × m × n = 𝑚" × n = 𝑚" n (f) 2x × 3y = 6xy

(g) a × a × a = 𝑎# (h) – 3k × 2m × – 4c = 24 × kmc = 24kmc

(i) a × b × 2c = 2abc (j) – 4 × – 3 × 𝑘 " = 12 × 𝑘 " = 12𝑘 "

(k) d × d × d × c × d × c = d × d × d × d × c × c = 𝑑( × 𝑐 " = 𝑑( 𝑐 "

(l) 2x × 3y × 4z = 24 × xyz = 24xyz