P1 Chapter 3 :: Equations and

Inequalities
jfrost@tiffin.kingston.sch.uk
www.drfrostmaths.com
@DrFrostMaths

Last modified: 23rd July 2018

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Chapter Overview
There is little new content in this chapter since GCSE.

1:: Simultaneous Equations 2:: Simultaneous Equations using Graphs

 
Solve:  Find the points of intersection of
and
NEW! (since GCSE)
You may have to use the discriminant to show that
the two graphs have no points of intersection.

3:: Solving Inequalities 4:: Sketching Inequalities

 Find the set of values of for  Sketch the region that
which: satisfies the inequalities:

NEW! (since GCSE, and new to A Level 2017+)

Use set notation to represent solutions to
inequalities.
Solutions sets

The solution(s) to an equation may be:

A single value:   2 𝑥 +1= 5

Multiple values:   2
𝑥 +3 𝑥+2=0
An infinitely large
set of values:
  𝑥> 3
No (real) values!  𝑥2 =− 1
Every value!  𝑥2 + 𝑥= 𝑥 ( 𝑥 +1 )

 
The point is that you shouldn’t think of the solution to an equation/inequality as
an ‘answer’, but a set of values, which might just be a set of 1 value (known as a
singleton set), a set of no values (i.e. the empty set ), or an infinite set (in the last
example above, this was )

! The solutions to an equation are known as the solution set.

Solutions sets
For simultaneous equations, the same is true, except each ‘solution’ in the
solution set is an assignment to multiple variables.
All equations have to be satisfied at the same time, i.e. ‘simultaneously’.

Scenario Example Solution Set

𝑥+ 𝑦=9
Solution
  1:
A single solution:   To be precise here, the solution set is of
? ?
size 1, but this solution is an assignment
to multiple variables, i.e. a pair of values.

Solution 1:
2 2  

𝑥 + 𝑦? =10
 
Two solutions: Solution 2:
?
This time we have two solutions,
each an pair.

𝑥+ 𝑦=1
The Textbook Error Pg39:
    solution set is empty,
No solutions: ? ?
i.e. , as both equation can’t
be satisfied at the same time.
“Linear simultaneous
equations in two
unknowns have one set
of values that will make
a pair of equations true

𝑥+ 𝑦=1
Infinitely large set  
of solutions:
Solution
  1:
at the same time.”
Solution 2: There are two separate
? Solution 3:
Solution 4:
? errors in this statement
– I’ll let you work out
… Infinite possibilities! what! (Hint: underlined)
1 :: Simultaneous Equations
Recap!

 Solve the simultaneous equations:  Solve the simultaneous equations:

We
  can’t use elimination this time as nothing
 We can either use substitution (i.e. would cancel.
making or the subject of one equation, We instead:
and substituting it into the other) or (1) Rearrange linear equation to make or the
elimination, but the latter is easier for subject.
linear equations. (2) Substitute into quadratic equation and solve.

Adding the two equations to Substitute into other equation:

‘eliminate’ :
? ?
Substituting into first equation:
Test Your Understanding
 Solve the simultaneous equations:

2 2
 

3𝑥 +( 𝑥+1) =21?
Exercise 3A/B
Pearson Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS
Pages 40, 41

Extension 2  [STEP 2010 Q1] Given that

1  [MAT 2012 1G] There are
positive real numbers and a) Find the values of .
which solve the equations b) Solve the simultaneous equations:

(Hint: Can we use the same method in (a) to rewrite the second equation?)
for:
A) All values of ;
B) No values of ;
C) only;  a) Expanding RHS:
D) Only
Comparing coefficients: ?a
If then and which are
equivalent. This would give an b)
infinite solution set, thus the Using method in (a):
Subtracting yields and
answer is C. ? We have to consider each of 4 possibilities.
Final solution set: ?b
or
Simultaneous Equations and Graphs

 Recall that a line with a given

equation is the set of all points
that satisfy the equation.

i.e. It is a graphical representation

 𝑥
+ of the solution set where each
𝑦= point represents each of the
5
1

solutions and to the equation.

2 𝑥+

e.g.
 𝑦 =

 Now suppose we introduced a second simultaneous equation:

The second line again consists of all points which satisfy the equation.
So what point must satisfy both equations simultaneously?
The point of intersection!

?
Example
 a) On the same axes, draw the graphs of:  b) Use your graph to write down the
solutions to the simultaneous equations.

?b
(We could always substitute into the original
equations to check they work)

c) What algebraic method (perhaps

thinking about the previous chapter), could
we have used to show the graphs would
have intersected twice?
?a
Substituting linear equation into quadratic:

Since there were two points of intersection, the

equation must have two distinct solutions. Thus

?c
Thus the quadratic has two distinct solutions,
i.e. we have two points of intersection.
Another Example
 a) On the same axes, draw the graphs of:   Prove algebraically that the lines
b)
never meet.

When we try to solve

simultaneously by substitution,
the equation must have no
solutions.

therefore no solutions,
? b and
?a therefore no points of
intersection.
Final Example
 The line with equation meets the curve with equation
at exactly one point. Given that is a positive constant:
a) Find the value of .
b) For this value of , find the coordinates of this point of intersection.

a  Substituting:

Since one point of intersection, equation has one solution, so .

But is positive so . ?a
When ,

We can breathe a sigh of

b relief as we were expecting
one solution only.
?a
Exercise 3C
Pearson Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS
Page 45
Set Builder Notation
Recall that a set is a collection of values such that:
a) The order of values does not matter. Froflection: Sets seem
sensible for listing solutions
b) There are no duplicates. to an equation, as the order
doesn’t matter.
 Recap from GCSE:
• We use curly braces to list the values in a set, e.g.
• If and are sets then is the intersection of and , giving a set which has the
elements in and .
• is the union of and , giving a set which has the elements in or in .
• is the empty set, i.e. the set with nothing in it.
• Sets can also be infinitely large. is the set of natural numbers (all positive
integers), is the set of all integers (including negative numbers and 0) and is
the set of all real numbers (including all possible decimals).
• We write to mean “ is a member of the set A”. So would mean “ is a real
number”.

{ 1,2,3 } ∩ {3,4,5 }={ 𝟑 }

  ?
?
?
Set Builder Notation
It is possible to construct sets without having to
explicitly list its values. We use:
The | or : means “such that”.

 
or

Can you guess what sets the following give?

(In
  words “All numbers such that is an integer)

{ 2 𝑥 : 𝑥 ∈ ℤ }={0,2 ,− 2,4 , − 4,6

  ? ,− 6 , … } i.e. The set of all
even numbers!
𝑥
 
{ 2 : 𝑥 ∈ ℕ } ={2,4,8,16,32 ? ,… }
{ 𝑥𝑦 : 𝑥 , 𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒 }={4,6,10,14,15? , … }
  i.e. All possible products
of two primes.

We previously talked about ‘solutions sets’, so set builder notation is

very useful for specifying the set of solutions!
Set Builder Notation
Can you use set builder notation to specify the following sets?

All odd numbers.  

{2 𝑥+1 : 𝑥 ?∈ ℤ }
All (real) numbers  
{𝑥 : 𝑥 >5 }
greater than 5. Technically
  ?
it should be but the by default
implies real numbers greater than 5.

All (real) numbers less

than 5 or greater than 7.
{ 𝑥 : 𝑥 <5 }?∪ { 𝑥 : 𝑥 >7 }
 

We combine the two sets together.

All (real) numbers  

{ 𝑥 :5 ≤ 𝑥 ≤7 }
between 5 and 7 inclusive. While
  ?
we could technically write
, we tend to write multiple required conditions within
the same set.
Recap of linear inequalities

Inequality Solution Set

  2 𝑥 +1 >5   { 𝑥 : 𝑥 >2
? }
  {𝑥 : 𝑥 ≥ 7.2 }
3 ( 𝑥 −5 ) ≥ 5− 2( 𝑥 − 8)
  ?
{𝑥 : 𝑥 ≤ −
? 2}
Fro Note: Multiplying or both sides
  −𝑥≥2   of an inequality by a negative
number reverses the direction.

Combining Inequalities:
 If and , what is the combined solution set?

2 3 4

? Fro Hint
  2 ≤? 𝑥 <3
Solution
If both inequalities have to be satisfied,
we have to be on both lines. Place your
finger vertically and scan across.
 RECAP :: Solving Quadratic Inequalities
 
Solve
Step 1: Get 0 on one side
(already done!)

 
( 𝑥+5 ) ( 𝑥? − 3 ) >0 Step 2: Factorise

Step 3: Sketch and reason

 𝑦
  𝑦=( 𝑥+5)( 𝑥 − 3)
 
Since we sketched
we’re interested where , i.e. the parts
of the line where the value is positive.

−5
   3
𝑥 
Click to Fro-Bolden >

What
  can you say about  What can you say about
the values of points in the values of points in {  𝑥 : 𝑥 <−5 } ∪ {𝑥 : 𝑥 >3 }
this region? this region?   Note: If the value is?‘strictly’ greater than 0,
Fro
i.e. > 0, then the value is strictly less than -5. So
? ? the < vs must match the original question.
Solving Quadratic Inequalities
 
Solve
Step 1: Get 0 on one side
(already done!)

 
( 𝑥+5 ) ( 𝑥 − 3 ) ≤ 0 Step 2: Factorise

Step 3: Sketch and reason

 𝑦
  𝑦=( 𝑥+5)( 𝑥 − 3)

? Sketch with
−5  3 region
  highlighted
𝑥    ? Final solution

Again, what can we say about the

 value of any point in this region? Bro
  Note: As discussed
previously, we need
rather than to be
consistent with the
original inequality.
 Further Examples
   
Solve Solve

 𝑦  𝑦
  𝑦=( 𝑥+ 4)( 𝑥+1)  𝑦=( 𝑥+3)( 𝑥 −3)

? ?
− −1 𝑥  −3  3
𝑥 
  4    

 
or  
− 3 < 𝑥 <3
Fro Note: The most common error I’ve seen students
make with quadratic inequalities is to skip the ‘sketch “Use of Technology” Monkey says:
 When I’m not busy flinging poo at other monkeys, I use
step’. Sod’s Law states that even though you have a 50%
chance of getting it right without a sketch (presuming the quadratic inequality solver on my ClassWiz. Just go to
you’ve factorised correctly), you will get it wrong. Menu Inequalities, then choose ‘order 2’ (i.e. quadratic)
Test Your Understanding
Edexcel C1 May 2010 Q3

Edexcel C1 June 2008 Q8 Fro

  Note: What often confuses
students is that the original
equation has no solutions, but the
inequality did have solutions. But
think carefully what we’ve done:
We’ve found the solutions for that
result in the original equation not
having any solutions for . These are
? different variables, so have different
solutions sets, even if the solution
set of influences the solution set
? of .
 
Deal with inequalities with a division by
Spec
  Note: This is an
 Find the set of values for which example in the textbook,
although it is ambiguous
whether this type of
Why
  can’t we just multiply both sides by ? question is in the new
We earlier saw that multiplying by a negative number would flip the specification. Dealing with
inequality, but multiplying by a positive number would not. Since we an in the denominator
don’t know , we don’t know whether the inequality would flip or not! within an inequality is a
skill previously in the old
Further Pure 2 module.
?
Once solution is to sketch and , find the points of intersection and
reason about the graph (see next section, “Inequalities on Graphs”),
But you never really know!

but an easier way is to multiply both sides by , because it is

guaranteed to be positive:

 𝑦
  𝑦= 𝑥 ( 𝑥 − 3)
𝟐
 

𝟔 𝒙>𝟐𝒙 ? Solution
 0  3 𝑥 
Exercise 3D/3E
Pearson Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS
Page 47-48, 50-51
Inequalities on Graphs (New to the 2017 spec)

 𝑦  
When we solved quadratic
  𝑦=( 𝑥+5)( 𝑥 − 3) inequalities, e.g.
We plotted and observed the values
of for which .

Can we use a similar method when we

−5
   3
𝑥  don’t have 0 on one side?

 Example: has equation . has equation .

The diagram shows a sketch of and on the same axes.
a) Find the coordinates of and , the points of intersection.
b) Hence write down the solution to the inequality .

 𝑦 a Solve
  simultaneously to find points of intersection:
 𝑃
𝑥2
2

4
?
𝑥

+
12
=

=
 𝑃1 𝑦
 𝑦

−2 𝑥  b When
  the graph is above the graph. This happens
   6 when .
?
Inequality Regions
 On graph paper, shade the region that satisfies the inequalities:

You did this at GCSE, the only difference here being that the graphs involved might
not be straight lines.

 
Step 2:
 𝑦
−4
An inequality involving and
? 3𝑥
represents a 2D region in space.
𝑥 2−

Step 1: Imagine Identify the correct side of each

2
  𝑦+ 𝑥
 𝑦 =

line each inequality represents.

inequalities
= 14as
equations and sketch. 𝑥  Click to Frosketch >
−1
   4

Fro
  Tip: To quickly sketch ,
consider what happens when
is and when is 0.
Fro
  Tip: Make sure is on the side where it is positive.
If is on the smaller side, you’re below the line.
If is on the greater side, you’re above the line.
Exercise 3F/3G
Pearson Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS
Page 53, 55