048-049_Algebra.

indd 49 5/5/09 14:25:57

49
ALGEBRA
they both now have the same number
of bales, so x + 1 = y 1. Adding 1 to
each side gives x + 2 = y, or y = x + 2.
Meanwhile if one bale moves from
donkey one to donkey two, then donkey
two has y + 1 bales, which is twice as
many as donkey one has (x 1). In
other words, y + 1 = 2(x 1), which is
the same as y + 1 = 2x 2. Subtracting
1 from each side of the equation gives
y = 2x 3. We already know that y = x + 2,
so we can write x + 2 = 2x 3. Subtract
x from each side to give 2 = x 3. Then
add 3 to each side to give x = 5. And
because y = 2x 3, y = 10 3 = 7. So the
answer is that donkey one had 5 bales
and donkey two had 7 bales.
The same general principles can be
applied to more complex equations.
However, is not always possible to
explicitly solve a given equation,
although it is usually possible to obtain
an approximate solution to a high
degree of precision.
From the 19th century more complex elds
of algebra developed, such as abstract
algebra and Boolean algebra.
BOOLEAN ALGEBRA
The philosopher and mathematician George
Boole (181564) brought together algebra and
logic in his book An Investigation of the Laws of
Thought in 1854. In Boolean algebra,
arithmetical operations (such as addition and
multiplication) are replaced with logical
operations such as AND, OR, and NOT, and
numbers are dealt with in a binary form. Largely
overlooked at the time, Boolean algebra later
played a major role in computingbeing
used in search engines, for example.
FERMATS LAST THEOREM
In the margin of a book the 17th-century
mathematician Pierre de Fermat wrote It is
impossible to separate a cube into two cubes,
or a fourth power into two fourth powers, or in
general, any power higher than the second
into two like powers. Known as Fermats last
theorem, this conjecture had confounded
mathematicians for about 300 years until, using
modern algebraic techniques, Andrew Wiles
found a proof in 1995.
ANDREW WILES IN FRONT OF PART OF HIS
PROOF OF FERMATS LAST THEOREM
TYPES OF ALGEBRAIC EQUATIONS
Equations can be classified into several
different types according to the highest
power to which one or more of their
variables is raised. For example, in
quadratic equations at least one variable
is squared (raised to the power of two).
Type of equation Common mathematical form Description/uses
Linear ax + by + c = 0 No variable is raised to a power greater
than one. Used in simple problems of
addition, multiplication, and division.
Quadratic ax
2
+ bx + c = 0 At least one of the variables is squared.
Used in calculations involving area.
Cubic ax
3
+ bx
2
+ cx + d = 0 At least one of the variables is cubed.
Used in calculations involving volume.
Quartic ax
4
+ bx
3
+ cx
2
+ dx + e = 0 At least one of the variables is to the
power of four. Used in computer
graphics.
Quintic ax
5
+ bx
4
+ cx
3
+ dx
2
+ ex + f = 0 At least one of the variables is to the
power of five. Solution of quintic
equations was important to the
development of abstract algebra.
I N P R A C T I C E
COMPOUND INTEREST
Algebraic equations can be used to solve
a huge variety of practical problems,
including compound interest, which can
be calculated using the equation:
A = P(1 + i)
n
Where A is amount of money
accumulated, including interest
P is the amount of money deposited (or
borrowed)
i is the interest rate per period (e.g. 5%
per year, or 0.05 per year)
n is the number of periods for which the
money is invested or borrowed
So if $100 is invested for 2 years at an
annual interest rate of 5% (0.05), the
amount after 2 years is given by:
A = 100 x (1 + 0.05)
2
Which gives the answer $110.25.
A F T E R
SEE ALSO gg
pp.6263 Eas Ntts wts
pp.37879 Int |HtHt
US_048-049_Algebra.indd 49 16/6/09 18:11:36