Chapter 1 - Algebraic Expressions

Question 1

What does a^m x aⁿ equal?

Answer 1

a^m+n It adds the powers.

Question 2

What does a^m / aⁿ equal?

Answer 2

a^m-n it subtracts the powers.

Question 3

What does (a^m)ⁿ equal?

Answer 3

a^{m x n} It multiplies the powers.

Question 4

What is factorising?

Answer 4

Putting an equation back into bracket form.

Question 5

What would a quadratic expression look like where ‘a’ not equal to 0?

Answer 5

ax² + bx + c where a b and c are real numbers.

Question 6

What does a^1/m equal?

Answer 6

The mth root of a e.g. If m=2 it square roots. If m = 3 it is the cube root. So 16^1/4 = 2

Question 7

What does a^n/m equal?

Answer 7

The mth root of aⁿ. So 16^3/4 = (16³)^1/4 = (16^1/4)³ = 2³ = 8

Question 8

What does a^-m equal?

Answer 8

1

a^m

It is the reciprocal of a^m. Just flip a then do the power.

Question 9

What does a⁰ equal?

Answer 9

1

Anything to the power of 0 equals 1.

Question 10

What does the square root of (ab) equal?

Answer 10

square root of (a) x square root of (b)

It multiplies the surds.

Question 11

What does the square root of (a / b) equal?

Answer 11

square root of (a) / square root of (b)

It divides the surds.

Question 12

How do you rationalise the denominator of 1(/square root of a)

Answer 12

multiply the numerator and denominator by the (square root of a)

Question 13

How do you rationalise the denominator of 1/(a+square root of (b))

Answer 13

multiply the numerator and denominator by (a - square root of b)

Change the sign of the surd.