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38. ALGEBRA
SOME BASIC FORMULAE
 a  b
    
 a  b  2ab
2
a b  a b
2 2 2 2

a 2
b 2

2
 a  b
2
 a 2  b2  2ab a 2
b 2
   a  b  a  b  
(a  b) 2  (a  b) 2  2(a 2  b 2 )
a 3
 b3   (a  b)(a2  b2  ab)

(a  b)2  (a  b)2  4ab

a 3
 b3   (a  b)(a 2  b2  ab)
 a  b   a3  b3  3ab(a  b) a  b  c (a 2  b2  c2 )  2(ab  bc  ca)
3 2

 a  b   a3  b3  3ab(a  b) (a b c)2  (a 2  b 2 c 2 ) 2(ab  bc  ca )

3

 a3  b3  c3  3abc    a  b  c   a2  b2  c2  ab  bc  ca  If  a  b  c   0,then  a3  b3  c3   3abc

1 1 1 1
If x   a, then x 2  2  a 2  2 If x   a, then x 2  2  a 2  2
x x x x
1 1 1 1
If x   a, then x  3  a  3a If x   a, then x  3  a  3a
3 3 3 3

x x x x
2 2
1 1  1  1 1  1 
If x   a, then x 4  4   x 2  2   2 If x   a, then x 4  4   x 2  2   2
x x  x  x x  x 
1 1
If x   a, then If x   a, then
x x
1  1  1  1 1  1  1  1
x5  5   x3  3  x 2  2    x   x5  5   x3  3  x 2  2    x  
x  x  x   x x  x  x   x
1 1 1 1
If x   a, then x  6  a  6a  9a  2 If x   a, then x  6  a  6a  9a  2
6 6 4 2 6 6 4 2

x x x x

1 1
If x 
 2, then x  1 If x   2, then x  1
x x
1 1
If x   1, then x  1 If x   1, then x  1
3 3

x x
1 1
If x  2  1, then x  1 If x  2  1, then x  1
2 6 2 6

x x
1 1
If x   3, then x  3  0, x  1
3 6

x x
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SOLVED EXAMPLES
1 a b 2 2
c 2
If a  b  c  0, find   ?
bc ca ab
Sol a 2 b 2 c 2 a 3  b3  c3 3abc
    3 if a  b  c  0, then a  b  c  3abc
3 3 3

bc ca ab abc abc
2 2 24 x 3 x 8
If x  , find  ?
8 3 x 3 x 8
2 24 2 3 8 x 2 8
Sol x    ,
8 3 8 3 3 8 3
x 3 2 8 8 3 3 8 3
By componendo and dividendo   ……………(1)
x 3 2 8 8 3 8 3
2 24 2 3 8 x 2 3
Similarly, x     ,
8 3 8 3 8 8 3
x 8 2 3 3 8 3 3 8
By componendo and dividend   ……………...(2)
x 8 2 3 3 8 3 8

On adding (1) and (2)

x 3 x 8 3 8 3 3 3 8
   
3 8 3

3 3 8

  
3 8  3 3 3  8 
x 3 x 8 8 3 3 8 8 3 8 3 8 3


2 8 2 3 2 8  3

2

8 3 8 3 
3 1 1
If x   4, then find the value of x 3  3 .
x x
3
 1 1 1 1 1  1
We know that,  x    x3  3  3x   x    43  x3  3  3  x  
Sol  x x x x x  x
1 1
 64  x 3  3  3  4  x 3  3  64  12  52.
x x
1 1
Or, we can directly use the formula If x   a, then x  3  a  3a
3 3

x x
4 1 1
If x   6, then find the value of x  4 .
4

x x
2
1 1 1 1  2 1 
By using the formulae If x   a , then x 2
  a 2
 2 & If x   a , then x  4   x  2   2
4
Sol x x2 x x  x 
1 1
we can directly use the formula; If x   a, then x  4 .  a  4a  2
4 4 2

, x x
1
 x4  .  64  4  6   2  1296  144  2  1154
2
4
x
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5 1 1
If x   3, then find the value of x 3  3 .
x x
1 1 1
Sol By using the formula, If x   a, then x  3  a  3a x 3  3  33  3  3  27  9  36
3 3

x x x
6 1 1
If x   7, then find the value of x  5 .
5

x x
1 1  1  1  1
By using the formulae, If x   a, then x5  5   x3  3  x 2  2    x   ,
Sol x x  x  x   x
1 1 1 1
If x   a, then x  3  a  3a and If x   a, then x  2  a  2
3 3 2 2

x x x x
x5  5   73  3  7  7 2  2   7   343  21 49  2   7  364  51  7  18564  7  18557
1
x
7 1 1
If a   0, find the value of  a  2  
10
.
a2  a  2
10

1 1 1
a  0,   a  2   0  2,   a  2   2,
Sol a2  a  2  a  2
1 1
 a  2   1.   a  2   1   11  2
10 10
From above equation we get,
 a  2 1
10 10

8 2
 1
If  x    3, then find the value of x  x  x  x  1.
24 18 12 6

 x
2
 1 1
Sol Given that,  x    3,  x  3,
 x x

   3
3
 1 1 1 1 1 3 1
we know that,   x    x  3  3 x   x   x 
3
 3  x3  3  3
 x x x x x x
1 x6  1
 x 3  3  3 3  3 3  0  3  0,  x 6  1  0,  x 6  1
x x
Substituting the above values in the given equation, we can get
x  x  x  x  1   x6    x6    x6   x6  1   1   1   1   1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1.
24 18 12 6 4 3 2 4 3 2

9 ab bc ca

If a  b  c  0, then find the value of   .
c a b
Sol a  b b  c c  a  c   a   b 
      1  1  1  3.  a  b   c , b  c   a , c  a  b
c a b c a b
10 If a 2  ab  b 2  b 2  bc  c 2 where a  b  c, then find the value of a  b  c.

Sol a 2  ab  b 2  b 2  bc  c 2 ,  a 2  ab  bc  c 2 ,  a 2  c 2  ab  bc  0,
  a  c  a  c   b  a  c   0,   a  c  a  c  b   0
We know that a  c, therefore, a  b  c  0
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11 1 1
If y  2  3 and xy  1, then find the value of 2
 2.
x y
1 1
We know that xy  1, x  ,  y  2  3
Sol y 2 3  
1 2 3 2 3 2 3
x     2 3  x y  2 3 2 3  4
2  3 2  3 22  3   43
2

y 2  x 2  x  y   2 xy  4   2 1
2 2
1 1
Then   2 2    16  2  14.
 xy  1
2 2
x2 y 2 x y
12 1
If x   1, then find the value of x85  x83  x80  x88 .
x
1
Sol Given that x   1, then x  1 (as per formula)
3

x
x  x  x  x  x  x88  x80  x85  x85  x 3  x85  x80  x 3  x80
85 83 80 88 85

 x85   1 x85  x80   1 x80  x85  x85  x80  x80  0.

EXERCISE
1 1 1
If x   7, then find the value of x 3  3 .
2
2
x x
2 If x  3  2 2, then find the value of x  x  x  1.
6 4 2

3 If x  23, then find the value of x  24 x  24 x  24 x.

4 3 2

4 1
If x   1, then find the value of x 72  x 71  x 70  x 69  x 68  x 67  x 54 .
x
5 If x  2  21/3  22/3 , then find the value of x  6 x  18 x  28.
3 2

6 If x 2  2  2 x, then find the value of x  x  x  2.

4 3 2

7 1 3x
If x   9, then find the value of 2 .
x x  5x  1
8 x2 y2 z2 a b c
If    1, then find the value of   .
by  cz cz  ax by  ax a x b y c z
9 If ax  by  3, bx  ay  4, and x 2  y 2  1, then find the value of a  b .
2 2

10 If x  y  z  10, and x 2  y 2  z 2  30, then find the value of x3  y 3  z 3  3xyz.

11 x  y xy
If x  y   , then find the value of xy.
7 4
12 x  3x 189
3
If  , then find the value of x.
3x 2  1 61
13
If a  7  2  4  3, and b  7  2 12 , then find the value of a  b .
3 3
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14 1 1 1
If 2 x  3 y  6 z , then find the value of   .
x y z
15 If a  b  c  2 and ab  bc  ca  1 then find the value of  a  b  b  c    c  a 
2 2 2
.
16 x y z
If   and x  y  z  0 then find each ratio.
xa  yb  zc ya  zb  xc za  xb  yc
17 1 1 9
If x   , then what 9x 2  2 is equal to
x 3 x
18 1
If x  2  3, then what is x 2  2 equal to?
x
19 1 1
If m   4, then find the value of  m  2  
2
.
m2  m  2
2

20 1 2x
If x   5, then 2 is equal to
x 3x  5 x  3
21 3
 1
If x  1  2, then the value of  x   is
 x
22 9  9
If x   6, then the value of  x 2  2  is
x  x 
23 x 2  3xy  y 2
If x  3  2 2 and xy  1, then the value of is
x 2  3xy  y 2
24 1
If x  3 2  3, then the value of x  is
3

x3
25 1  1 
If a   2  0, then the value of  a37  100  is
a  a 
26  1 
If x  3  2 2, then the value of  x   is
 x
27 If x  y  1 then the value of x 3  y 3  3xy is
28 If x  3  5, then the value of x 2  16 x  6 is
29  
If a 4  b 4  a 2b 2 , then a6  b6 equals
30 If x  y  1, then the value of x 3  y 3  3xy will be
31 If a  b x , b  c y , c  a z , then xyz is
32  x  3  x 2  5 x  4 
Find the value of .
 x  4   x 2  2 x  3
33
Find the value of
 x  3   x  1 .
 x  2   x  3
34 If  3a  1   b  1   2c  3  0, then the value of  3a  b  2c  is equal to
2 2 2

35 If ‘x’ and ‘y’ be two real numbers and x + y = 8, then the greatest value of ‘xy’ is
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36 1
Maximum value of x 2   3 is
x 1 2

37 If x 2  y 2  4 x  4 y  8  0, then the value of  x  y  is

38 If x 2  y 2  2 x  1  0, then the value of x 31  y 35 is
39  
If ‘x’ varies inversely as y 2  1 and is equal to 24 when y = 10, then the value of ‘x’ when y = 5 is
40 1 1
If 2 x   10, then the value of x 2  is
2x 16 x 2
41  
What is the remainder when x11  1 is divided by  x  1 ?
42 When x  2 is divided by x  1, what will be the remainder?
40 4

43 The factors of x 3  7 x  6 are

44 If 55 x5  1, then ‘x’ equals
45 1 1 1
2 x  4 y  8 z and xyz  288, then   is equal to
2 x 4 y 8z
46 If x  y   x  3
2
 y  1 , then the value of 5  4 is
47 If a  b  ab , then the value of 5  3 is
48 ba
If 1.5a  0.04b, then is equal to
ba
49  a 2  b 2  ab 
If a  11 and b  9, then the value of   is
 a b
2 2

50  
If a 4  b 4  a 2b 2 , then a6  b6 is equal to
51 
If x : y  2 :1, then 5x 2  13xy  6 y 2 is equal to 
52 The expression x 4  2 x 2  K will be a perfect square when the value of ' K ' is
53 If a  1.21, b  2.12, and c  3.33, then the value of a 3  b3  c 3  3abc is
54 If x  y  x 2  y 2  xy,9 then the value of 9 11 is

p  p 2  3 p  3  1 is
55
Is p = 999, then the value of
56 If x  y  x 2  y 2  xy, then 1113 is
57 If a3b  abc  180, a, b, c are positive integers, then the value of ‘c’ is
58 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
If x  1, then the value of 99
 98  97  96  95  94   1 is
x x x x x x x
59 4x
If  2 P  112, for what value of P, x  6?
3
60 1
If a 3  11, then the value of a  331a is
2

61 1 1
If x   2, x  0, then the value of x 2  3 is equal to
x x
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62 1
If x 2  3 x  1  0, then the value of x 3  is
x3
63 2
 1 1
  3, then a  a 3 is
If  a  3

 a
64 a b
If   1  0, then the value of a 3  b 3 is
b a

ANSWERS
1 18 2 204 3 23 4 1 5 50
6 0 7 3 8 1 9 25 10 50
14
11 4 12 9 13 52 14 0 15 6
3
16 1 17 19 18 14 19 2 20 1
k
abc 5
21 8 22 10 23 37 24 4 25 2
31
26 2 27 1 28 2 29 0 30 1
31 1 32 x 1 33 x7 34 3 35 16
x 1 x  5x  6
2

36 2 37 0 38 1 39 99 40 1
25
2
41 0 42 3 43  x  1 x  3 x  2 44 1 45 11
96
46 192 47 125 48 73 49 1 50 0
77 2
51 0 52 1 53 0 54 103 55 1000
56 147 57 1 58 2 59 2 60 1331000
61 2 62 18 63 0 64 0