A/AS Mathematics

Revision Notes

C1 C2 C3 C4
 C1 Topics Home

Calculus
Differentiation P1 C1
Tangents and Normals P1 C1
The Second Derivative P1 C1
Integration P1 C1

Algebra
Quadratic Equations P1 C1
Indices P1 C1
Surds P1 C1
Sequences and Series P2/P2 C1/C2

Geometry
Coordinate Geometry P1 C1
Curve Sketching P2 C1
C1 Differentiation C1 Topics

1. The gradient of a curve y = f(x) at the point x = a is the gradient

of the tangent to the curve at x = a.

dy
2. is the derivative of y with respect to x. It represents the rate of
dx
change of y with respect to x.

dy
3. If y  f  x  then  f ' x
dx

dy
4. If y  x
n
then  nx n1
dx

dy
5. If y  kx
n
then  nkx n 1
dx

dy du dv
6. If y  u  v , then  
dx dx dx
C1 Tangents and Normals Normal C1 Topics

Tangent

f(x)

1. If the lines y  m1 x  c1 and y  m2 x  c2 are perpendicular then

m1m2  1.

2. The equation of the Tangent to the curve y  f  x  at the point on the

curve with coordinates (a,b) is y  b  f '  a  x  a 

3. The equation of the Normal to the curve y  f  x  at the point on the

1
y b   x  a
curve with coordinates (a,b) is
f '  a
C1 The Second Derivative C1 Topics

d2y
1. If y  f  x  , then 2
 f ' '  x  is called the second derivative of y with
dx
respect to x.

2. A point on the curve y  f  x  for which f '  x   0 is called a turning (or

stationary) point of the curve.

3. There are three types of turning point:

Maximum – If f '  x   0 and f ' '  x   0

Minimum – If f '  x   0 and f ' '  x   0

Point of Inflexion - If f '  x   0 and f ' '  x   0 and f ' ' '  x   0
C1 Integration C1 Topics

Integration is the reverse of differentiation

1. y  f  x   C , where C is an arbitrary constant, is called the indefinite

dy
integral of  f '  x .
dx

1 n 1
 dx  x C
n
2. x
n 1

3.   u  v  dx   udx   vdx where u and v are functions of x.

4. Area under a curve given by y  f  x  is evaluated by

 ydx
C1 Quadratic Equations C1 Topics

1. The quadratic equation ax 2  bx  c  0  a  0 has roots

 b  b 2  4ac
x
2a

2. b 2  4ac is known as the Discriminant

No real roots
y y y

x x x

b 2  4ac  0 b 2  4ac  0 b 2  4ac  0

C1 Indices C1 Topics

m 1
1. a a  a
m n mn
5. a  m
a

2. (a ) m n
a 1

6. a m
 a
m
mn
3. a a  a
m n

4. a 1
0
7. a  a
n m n
C1 Surds C1 Topics

1. Addition and Subtraction of Surds

a b  c b   a  c b

a b  c b   a  c b
2. Multiplication and Division

ab  a  b

a a

b b
C1 Sequences and Series C1 Topics
1. The nth term of the arithmetic series
a + (a + d) + (a + 2d) + ………..is [a + (n – 1)d]

2. The sum of the arithmetic series

n
a + (a + d) + (a + 2d) + …….+ [a + (n – 1)d] is  2a   n  1 d .
2
1
3. The sum of the first n natural numbers is n n  1
2

4. The nth term of a geometric series

a  ar  ar 2  ........ is ar n1
n 1
The sum of the finite geometric series a  ar  ar  ........  ar
2
5. is

a 1 rn


a r n 1 
1 r r 1

6. Sigma Notation – the sum of a sequence

The sequence 3, 5, 7, 9, 11……… is given by the nth term formula 2n

+ 1. The sum of this sequence (Sn ) will be (Sn )=
3+5+7+9……This can be written using the Greek capital sigma ?
n
S n   2n  1  (2(1)  1)  (2(2)  1)  (2(3)  1)  .........  ( 2(n)  1)
r 1
C1 Coordinate Geometry C1 Topics

1. The distance between the points  x1 , y1  and  x2 , y2  is

 x2  x1    y2  y1 
2. The equation of a line with gradient m, passing through the point with
coordinates  x1 , y1  is
y  y1  m x  x1 

3. The equation of a line passing through the points with coordinates

 x1 , y1  and  x2 , y 2  is
y  y1 x  x1

y 2  y1 x 2  x1

4. The line with equation ax + by + c = 0 meets the x-axis at the point

 c   c
  ,0  and meets the y-axis at the point  0,  and
 a   b
a
has gradient  .
b

5. If two lines are parallel, their gradients are equal.

6. The mid point of the line joining  x1 , y1  to  x 2 , y 2  has coordinates

 x1  x 2 y1  y 2 
 , 
 2 2 

7. If the lines y  m1 x  c1 and y  m2 x  c2 are perpendicular then

m1m2  1.
C1 Curve Sketching C1 Topics
Step 1: Find the Asymptotes – These are lines for which the graph is undefined (this
means that the curve does not cross the asymptotes)

Step 2: Work out where the graph crosses the x and y axis. Do this by considering what
the y value is when x=0 and what the x value is when y=0.

Step 3: Consider what happens as x becomes very large. Does y become very large,
small, negative or positive? Consider what happens as x becomes very small. What
happens to y? This will often give you another asymptote.

1 x
Example: y 
1 x

Find asymptotes –
The denominator cannot equal 0 therefore 1-x cannot equal 0 so x
cannot equal 1. Therefore x=1 is an asymptote.
1
Where the axis are crossed-
If x=0, then y=1. So the curve goes through (0,1)
If y=0, then x=-1. So the curve goes through (-1,0) -1 0
What happens as x gets large and small-
First re-write the equation.

1 x
y  as x gets very big
1 x 1 x

y  0  (1)  1 so y=-1 is another asymptote

 C2 Topics Home

Trigonometry
Sine and Cosine Formulae P1 C2
Radians P1 C2
Sin, Cos, Tan and Identities P1/P2 C2

Calculus
Uses of Differentiation P1 C2
Area Under a Curve P1 C2
The Trapezium Rule P2 C2

Algebra
Algebraic Long Division P1/P3 C2
The Binomial Theorem and series P2 C2
Exponentials and Logarithms P2 C2

Geometry
Circles P3 C2
C2 Sine and Cosine Formula C2 Topics
B
a c

C A
1. The Sine rule states that
b
a b c
 
SinA SinB SinC
2. The Cosine rule states that
2
a  b  c  2bc cos A
2 2

3. The area of a triangle is given by

1
ab sin C
2
4. The distance between the points  x1 , y1 , z1  and  x2 , y2 , z 2  is
 x2  x1    y2  y1    z2  z1 
C2 Radians C2 Topics

1. 360 o  2 therefore 180 o  

2. The arc of a sector of a circle is given by s  r

1 2
3. The area of a sector of a circle is given by A  r 
2

arc
r

θ
r
C2 Sin, Cos, Tan and Identities C2 Topics
1.

2. sin(-x) = -sin(x) cos(-x) = +cos(x) tan(-x) = -tan(x)

sin 
3. cos   sin   1
2 2
and tan  
cos 
4. Quadrants - CAST
C – for all angles (x) in this quadrant
cosx>0 sinx<0 tanx<0
A – for all angles (x) in this quadrant
S A cosx>0 sinx>0 tanx>0
S – for all angles (x) in this quadrant
T C sinx>0 cosx<0 tanx<0
T – for all angles (x) in this quadrant
tanx>0 sinx<0 cosx<0
C2 Use of Differentiation C2 Topics

1. An Increasing function is when if x1  x2 then f ( x1 )  f ( x 2 ) so as x

increase, so does f(x). This means that f ' ( x)  0

2. A Decreasing function is when if x1  x 2 then f ( x1 )  f ( x2 ) so as x

increase, so does f(x). This means that f ' ( x)  0

3. Some functions decrease and increase. These functions are known to

have stationary points (maximum, minimum or points of inflexion).

Points where gradient=0 Point of

inflexion
f ' '  x  0
f ' '  x   0 and f ' ' '  x   0
maximum

minimum

f ' '  x  0
C2 Area under a curve C2 Topics

1. The definite integral

f '  x  dx   f  x   a  f  b   f  a 
b

b
a

2. The area of the region bounded by the curve y  f  x  , the ordinates

x = a and x = b and the x-axis can be found by evaluating the definite
integral

 f  x  dx
b

a
y

f(x)

a b x
C2 The Trapezium rule C2 Topics

                                                                             
where y0 = f(x0) and y1 = f(x1) etc
C2 Algebraic long division C2 Topics

1. The Remainder Theorem states that if a polynomial f  x  is divided by

 
x   , the remainder is f  
 

 
2. The Factor Theorem states that if x   is a factor of f  x  then f    0
 
C2 The Binomial Theorem and series C2 Topics
1. If r  1, then the infinite geometric series a  ar  ar 2  ........
a
has sum
1 r

2. Binomial expressions consist of two terms, for example (a + bx)

3. Important identities are:

 a  b 2  a 2  2ab  b 2  a  b  3  a 3  3a 2b  3ab 2  b 3

4. PASCAL’s Triangle- array of binomial

5. Factorial n, written as n!, is 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x……x n-1 x n

Remember 0! = 1.

n n!
6.   
 r  r! n  r !

 n n 2 n 3 n r

7. 1  x  n
 1    x    x    x  .......... .    x  .........  x n
     
 1  2  3 r

 n  n1  n  n 2 2  n  nr r
8.  a  b n
 a   a b   a b  ...........   a b  .........  b n
n

1  2 r
C2 Exponentials and Logarithms C2 Topics

1. log a xy  log a x  log a y 4. log a a  1

x 5. log a 1  0
2. log a  log a x  log a y
y
log c b
6. log a b 
3. log a x n  n log a x log c a

An equation of the form a  b is solved by taking logarithms of both

x
7.
sides.

8. A population whose rate of increase is proportional to the size of the

population at any time obeys a law of the form P  Ae kt

where A and k are
constants. This is known as exponential growth.

9. A population whose rate of decrease is proportional to the size of the

 kt
population at any time obeys a law of the form P  Ae where A and k
are constants. This is known as exponential growth.
C2 Circles C2 Topics

1. A circle with centre (0,0) and radius r has equation

x y r
2 2 2

2. A circle with centre (a,b) and radius r has equation

 x  a 2
  y  b  r
2 2

3. A general circle has equation

x  y  2 gx  2 fy  c  0
2 2

With centre   g , f  and radius r  g2  f 2 c

 C3 Topics Home

Trigonometry
Sec, Cosec and Cot P2 C3
Solving Trigonometric Equations P2 C3

Calculus
Exponentials and Logarithms P2 C3
The Product and Quotient Rules P3 C3
The Chain Rule P3 C3
Differentiating Trigonometric functions P3 C3
Implicit Differentiation P3 C3

Algebra
Functions P2 C3
Iteration P2 C3
C3 Sec, Cosec and Cot C3 Topics

1
sec  
cos 

1
cos ec 
sin 

1 cos 
cot   
tan  sin 
C3 Solving Trigonometric Equations C3 Topics
1. sin  A  B   sin A cos B  cos A sin B
2. cos A  B   cos A cos B  sin A sin B
tan A  tan B
3. tan  A  B  
1  tan A tan B
4. sin 2 A  cos 2 A  1
5. sec 2 A  1  tan 2 A
6. cos ec 2 A  1  cot 2 A
7. sec 2 A  1  tan 2 A
8. sin 2 A  2 sin A cos A
9. cos 2 A  cos2 A  sin 2 A
10. cos 2 A  2 cos 2 A  1
11. cos 2 A  1  2 sin 2 A
2 tan A
12. tan 2 A 
1  tan 2 A

1 1
13. sin A  (1  cos A)
2

2 2
1 1
14. cos 2 A  (1  cos A)
2 2
C3 Exponentials and Logarithms C3 Topics
1. The Exponential Function
x
dy e
If y  ex
then  e x

dx

dy
If y  ke then
kx
 ke kx lnx
dx

2. The Natural Logarithm (ln)

dy 1
If y  ln x then 
dx x

1
and  dx  ln x  c
x

3. The exponential function is the inverse function of the natural

logarithm
i.e. 0.5  e
x

ln 0.5  ln(e x )
ln 0.5  x
C3 The Product and Quotient Rules C3 Topics

1. The Product Rule

d (uv ) du dv
v u
dx dx dx
2. The Quotient Rule

u du dv
d( ) v u
v  dx dx
2
dx v
C3 The Chain Rule C3 Topics
Example

If y  1  x  so y  t
2 3 3

Let t  1 x2

dy

 3t 2  2 x  6 x 1  x 2  2
dy dy dt
dx  
In general:
dx dt dx
d  ax  b 
n
 an ax  b 
n 1

dx

d  ax 2  b 
n

 2axn ax  b 
2 n1

dx

d  ax 3  b 
n

 3ax n ax  b 
2 3 n 1

dx
C3 Differentiating Trigonometric functions C3 Topics
d (sin x )
1.  cos x
dx

d (cos x )
2.   sin x
dx

d (sec x)
3.  sec x tan x
dx

d (cos ecx)
4.   cos ecx cot x
dx

d (tan x)
5.  sec 2 x
dx

d (cot x )
6.   cos ec 2 x
dx
C3 Implicit Differentiation C3 Topics

2)
d(y dy
1.
 2y
dx dx

d ( xy ) dy
x y
2.
dx dx

3. Differential equations e.g.

dy d2y dy
 f '  x  (first order) 2
y (second order)
dx dx dx
d3y d2y
3
 2  x (third order)
dx dx
C3 Functions C3 Topics
1. Domain- the set of all the values that are allowed to be put into
a function.

2. Range- the set of all the values that the function can take.

3. Composing Functions- gf(x) = g(f(x))

i.e. f(x) = x+1 and g(x) = 2x
then gf(x) = 2(x+1)

4. The Inverse of a function- just rearrange to make the other

1
variable the subject. f ( x) is the inverse of f (x) .
5. The modulus function cannot take negative values.

6. Transforming Graphs:
If y  f (x) , the graph of y  f ( x)  c will be the graph y  f (x)
shifted c units upwards
If y  f (x) , the graph of y  f ( x  c) will be the graph y  f (x)
shifted c units to the left
If y  f (x) , the graph of y  f ( x  c) will be the graph y  f (x)
shifted c units to the right
If y  f (x) , the graph of y  af (x) will be the graph y  f (x)
squashed if a is less than 1
C3 Iterations C3 Topics
Iteration is a way of solving equations. You would usually use iteration when you cannot
solve the equation any other way.
An iteration formula might look like the following:
xn+1 = 2  + 1
               xn .

You are usually given a starting value, which is called x0.

If x0 = 3, for example, you would substitute 3 into the original equation where it says xn. This
will give you x1. (This is because if n = 0, x1 = 2 + 1/x0 and x0 = 3).
x1 = 2 + 1/3 = 2.333 333 (by substituting in 3).
To find x2, substitute the value you found for x1.
x2 = 2 + 1/(2.333 333) = 2.428 571

Repeat this until you get an answer to a suitable degree of accuracy. This may be about the
5th value for an answer correct to 3s.f. In this example, x5 = 2.414...
 Home
C4 Topics

Calculus
Volumes of Revolution P2 C4
Parametric Differentiation P3 C4
Integration by Parts P3 C4
Integration by Substitution P3 C4
Integration Techniques P3 C4
Differential Equations P3 C4

Algebra
Partial Fractions P3 C4
The Binomial Theorem Again P3 C4
Parametric Equations P3 C4

Geometry
Vectors P3 C4