ALGEBRAIC NOTATION AND

TERMINOLOGY
A variable is a symbol that represents an unspecified number. A variable is able
to take on any one of the different values that it represents.

In the relationship:

y = x +2

y and x are variable since they both can assume various numerical values.

A constant is a symbol that does not change its value, such as 5, -3, 29/7, or .

In the relationship

y=x+2

2 is a constant. A number is a constant. If a symbol represents only one value, that

symbol is constant.

In algebra the symbols +, -, ·, /, etc. Signify the same operations as in arithmetic. One
innovation, due to Rene Descartes in 1637, is that we do not always write the · for
multiplication.

Any meaningful collection of variables, constants, grouping symbols, and signs of

operation is called an algebraic expression. Examples of algebraic expression would
be:
xy x2 1
prt 5 xy 3x 2  2 x  1
2 y2

In an algebraic expression, terms are any constants, variables, or products or quotients

of these. Terms are separated by plus or minus signs. The + and – signs that separate
the algebraic expressions into terms are part of the term.

Example: Determine the number of terms in the algebraic expression.

1. 5x2 + 2x – 1 There are three terms.

2. X2 + y2 There are two terms.
3. 4x2y2z4 There are one term.

b  c2
4. a 2  There are two terms .
d

The number (including sign) at the beginning of a term is called “coefficient”

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 Examples: 4x2y.............Coefficient:4
-3zx3............ Coefficient: -3
1 2 3
x y ......... Coefficient: ½
2
x3............ Coefficient:1
-x2y3......... Coefficient:-1

The degree of a term is the sum of the exponents of the variables.

Examples:
8x2y3.......................Degree:2+3=5
3x............................Degree:1
-2a2b3c....................Degree:2+3+1=6

Two or more terms are called “Like Terms” if the variable factors of the terms, along
with their respective exponents, are identical. However, the numerical coefficient of
these identical variable factors may be different.
Examples:
1. 3a2b3 and -2a2b3 are like terms.
2. 2x2y and 2xy2 are not like terms (they are “unlike terms”).
3. 4a2 and 3a3 are not like terms (they are unlike terms).
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4. 8x and -4x3 are like terms

A special kind of algebraic expression is a polynomial. The following are

characteristics of a polynomial.
1. It has real number coefficients.
2. All variables in a polynomial are raised to only natural number powers.( 3 x 2  5
is not a polynomial).
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3. It can not contain variable/s in the denominator.(  5 x 2  1 is not a
x
polynomial).

A polynomial that contains just one term is called monomial, a polynomial that
contains two terms is called binomial, and a polynomial that contains three terms is
called trinomial. No special names are given to polynomials that contain more than
three terms.

The degree of a polynomial is the highest degree of any term of the polynomial.

Examples:

1. 4x5-2x3y4+y3..........Degree 7 because the highest degree of any term is 7.

2. 3..............................Degree 0.
3. 8x2+3x+6...............Degree 2.

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When each the letters in an expression represents a given number, you can find the
value of that expression. This is called “substitution”.
Examples:
1. x = 2 and y = 10. Find the value of
1.1 3x + 4y..................3·2+4·10=6+40=46
1.2 8x – y ...................8·2-10=16-10=6
2 a=5 and b=2. Find the value of:
2.1 a2-3b = 52-3·2=25-6=19
2.2 2a-3b3 = 2·5-3·23 = 10-3·8 = 10-24 = -14

Algebraic Notation
Many problems that we encounter will be stated verbally (using words). Many times,
these problems will need to be translated into algebraic expressions. There is no
standard procedure for changing a verbal phrase into an algebraic expression, but let´s
have a look at the following examples. (We will let “x” represent the unknown
number).

A number increased by six..........................x+6

A number decreased by nine.......................x-9
Twice a number..........................................2·x
Two times a number and that product decreased by 5.....................2·x-5
A number divided by 3 and that quotient increased by 2.............(x/3) + 2
Twice the sum of a number and four..........................2·(x+4)
25% of a number.......................................0.25·x
Eight more than a number.........................x+8

EXERCISES:

1 Complete the table (use “substitution”):

a = 5, x = 3, y = -1 a = -2, x = 2, y = -3 a =-1, x= 3, y =2
3a2-5x-2y3

(2x/y)-3a

2 Write an algebraic expression for each of the following:

a) The sum of a and b

b) Three times a, subtracted from b

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 c) Seven less than x
d) Two times the sum of a number and four
e) Twice the quantity represented by a number less six
f) The product of a number and that same number less 3
g) The sum of one half a number and one third of the number
h) One third of the sum of a number and five
i) 25% of what remains when an amount is deducted from 12000
j) The sum of 6% of an amount and what remains when that amount
is deducted from 30000

SPECIAL BINOMIAL PRODUCTS:

We are going to look at three special cases of multiplying binomials.

1. Square of a binomial (a+b)2:

(a + b)2 = a2 + b2 +2·a·b

a+b
x a+b
-------------------
b·a + b2
2
a +a·b
------------------
a2+a·b+b·a+b2 = a2 + 2·a·b + b2 = The square of the first term plus twice the product
of the two terms plus the square of the second term.

2. Square of a binomial (a-b)2:

(a – b)2 = a2 -2·a·b + b2
a-b
x a-b
-------------------
-b·a + b2
a2 - a·b
------------------
a2-a·b-b·a+b2 = a2 - 2·a·b + b2 . The square of the first term minus twice the product
of the two terms plus the square of the second term.

3. Difference of two squares. (a + b)·(a – b) = a2 – b2 .

a – b.
x a+b
-------------------
+b·a - b2
a2 - a·b
------------------

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 a2-a·b+b·a+b2 = a2 - b2 . The square of the first term minus the square of the second
term

The Three Cases

Here are the three results we just got:

(a+b)2 = a2 + 2ab + b2
} (the "perfect square trinomials")
(a-b)2 = a2 - 2ab + b2

(a+b)(a-b) = a2 - b2 (the "difference of squares")

Now, have a look at this example about (a + b)2

EXAMPLES:

 (y+1)2

We can use the (a+b)2 case where "a" is y, and "b" is 1:

(y+1)2 = (y)2 + 2(y)(1) + (1)2 = y2 + 2y + 1

 (3x-4)2

We can use the (a-b)2 case where "a" is 3x, and "b" is 4:

(3x-4)2 = (3x)2 - 2(3x)(4) + (4)2 = 9x2 - 24x + 16

 (4y+2)(4y-2)

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 We know that the result will be the difference of two squares, because:

(a+b)(a-b) = a2 - b2

so:

(4y+2)(4y-2) = (4y)2 - (2)2 = 16y2 - 4

EXERCISES:

Expand:

 (3 + x)2=

 (2 - 3z)2=

 (5 +2x)·(5 – 2x)=

 (3x +2y)2=

 (3y – 2x2)2=

 (2y - 6)·(2y + 6)=

Simplify:

 x2 + 10x + 25=

 9x2 -24x +16=

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 25x2 – 16=

 4x2 + 12x + 9=

 x2 – 6xy + 9y2=

 x2y2 – 25=