We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

2 Expressions,
formulae and equations

E
2.1 Constructing expressions
Here are three bags, each with a different number of balls inside.
Key word

This bag has

two balls.
PL
This bag has
four balls.
This bag has b balls. You
cannot see how many
balls are in this bag, so
you can choose any letter
to represent the number.
expression

Tip
Remember that
the correct order
of operations is
used in algebra as
M
well as in number
calculations.
Exercise 2.1 Divisions and
multiplications
come before
Focus additions and
SA

1 Write down the missing number for each of the following. subtractions.
If you do not know the number, choose your own letter to
represent it.
Tip
a This box has counter. In part c you do
not know how
many counters
b This box has counters.
are in this box,
so choose your
c This box has counters. own letter.

20
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior to publication.
 We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

2.1 Constructing expressions

d This bag has apples.

e This bag has apples.

2 Two balls are added to each of these bags. Write down the
missing numbers. Tip

E
a There is one ball in the bag. In part c choose
Add two balls, so there are now 1 + 2 = balls your own letter
in the bag. for the number
b There are balls in the bag. of balls; for

3
c
balls in the bag.
There are

the bag.
PL
Add two balls, so there are now

balls in the bag.

Add two balls, so there are now

A bag has n counters in it.

+2=

+2 balls in

Match the statement in each rectangle to its correct expression in

example, b.
You cannot work
out b + 2,
so just leave
the expression
as it is.
M
the ovals. The first one has been done for you: A and iv. Tip
I add three I add one I add six I add nine I add seven An expression is
counters to counter to counters to counters to counters to a statement that
the bag. the bag. the bag. the bag. the bag. contains letters
A B C D E and sometimes
numbers; for
SA

n+7 n+6 n+1 n+3 n+9 example, n + 7.

i ii iii iv v

4 Sofia has a box that contains t toys. Write an expression for the
total number of toys she has in the box when: Tip
a she puts in four more toys In each part of
b she takes out two toys the question Sofia
c she adds five toys starts with t toys.
d she takes out half of the toys.

21to publication.
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior
 We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

2 Expressions, formulae and equations

5 Cheng has s strawberries. Write an expression for someone

who has:
a two more strawberries than Cheng
b three times as many strawberries as Cheng
c six fewer strawberries than Cheng
d half as many strawberries as Cheng.

Practice

E
6 Write down an expression for the answer to each of these questions.
a Ali has x paintings. He buys two more paintings.
How many paintings does he now have?
b Hamza has t free text messages on his phone each month.

7
c

PL
So far this month he has used 15 text messages.
How many free text messages does he have left?
Ibrahim is i years old and Tareq is t years old. What is the
total of their ages?
d Aya can store v video clips on one memory card. How many
video clips can he store on two memory cards?
Nesreen thinks of a number, n. Write an expression for the number
Nesreen gets each time.
a She multiplies the number by 6.
M
b She divides the number by 5.
c She multiplies the number by 5, then adds 1.
d She multiplies the number by 7, then subtracts 2.
e She divides the number by 10, then adds 3.
f She multiplies the number by 3, then subtracts the result
SA

from 25.
8 The cost of an adult meal in a fast-food restaurant is $a. The cost
of a child’s meal in the same restaurant is $c.
Write an expression for the total cost of the meals for these groups.
a one adult and one child
b one adult and three children
c four adults and one child
d four adults and five children

22
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior to publication.
 We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

2.1 Constructing expressions

9 Match each description (a to f ) to the correct expression (i to vii).

Description Expression
a Multiply x by 5 and add 4. i 4x + 5
b Multiply x by 4 and add 5. ii 4x − 5
c Multiply x by 5 and subtract 4. iii 4 − 5x
d Multiply x by 5 and subtract from 4. iv 5 − 4x

E
e Multiply x by 4 and subtract 5. v 5x − 4
f Multiply x by 4 and subtract from 5. vi 5 − 5x
vii 5x + 4

a match:

PL
Marcus writes this description for the expression that did not have

Multiply x by 5 then subtract 5.

Is Marcus correct? Explain your answer.

M
10 Write an expression for each of these situations.
You can choose your own letters, but make sure you write what
your letters represent.
a The total cost of seven drinks and six bags of potato chips.
b The total value of three rings is doubled.
SA

Challenge
11 Write an expression for each of these descriptions.
a k more than g b h less than t
c y more than eight times x d three times a multiplied by b
12 Write a description for each of these expressions.
a v + 7u b 8w − d
c 5x + 3y d 7pq
Tip
Remember the correct order of operations. Multiplication comes
before addition and subtraction.

23to publication.
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior
 We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

2 Expressions, formulae and equations

13 Kai has two pieces of wood. The lengths of the pieces of wood are shown
in the diagram.

8a + 15 2b – 3c

Write an expression for:

a the total length of the pieces of wood
b the difference in the lengths of the pieces of wood.
14 p and q are whole numbers, such that p + q = −2 and pq = −8. Also p > q.

E
a Sadie thinks that p = −12 and q = 10. Explain why Sadie is wrong.
b Work out the values of p and q.

numbers but has no = sign.

For example: p
PL
2.2 Using expressions and formulae
An expression is a statement that contains letters and sometimes

x+2 n−3
You can substitute numbers into an expression to work out the value of
the expression.
4m
Key words
formula
substitute
M
For example, the value of x + 2 when x = 5 is 5 + 2 = 7. Tip
A formula is a statement that contains letters and sometimes numbers Substitute the x
and has an = sign. for the number
For example: A = 2p y=x−2 v = 5n − 3 R=m+k 5 and then work
out 5 + 2.
SA

Exercise 2.2
Focus
1 For each of these statements, write the letter E if it is an expression
or write the letter F if it is a formula. The first two have been done
for you.
a 8h E b v = 9u F c 9u + 3
d m=4+n e G = 2x + y f b−c Tip
In part a,
2 Work out the value of x + 6 when:
x+6=1+6=
a x=1 b x=2 c x=3 d x=4

24
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior to publication.
 We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

2.2 Using expressions and formulae

3 Work out the value of n − 1 when:

Tip
a n=5 b n=6 c n=7 d n=8
In part a,
4 Work out the value of the expression in each rectangle and match
it to its correct answer in the oval. The first one has been done for n−1=5−1=
you: A and iii.

y+2 y–2 4+y 10 – y y+3

when y = 3 when y = 10 when y = 2 when y = 1 when y = 0
A B C D E

E
8 6 5 3 9
i ii iii iv v

5 Write down ‘True’ or ‘False’ for each of these statements.

If a statement is false, work out the correct value of the expression.

e
The value of

The value of
2
x
3
PL
The first one has been done for you.
The value of 2m when m = 5 is 7. False; when m = 5, 2m = 10.
b The value of 3m when m = 8 is 24.
c The value of 9p when p = 2 is 11.
w
when w = 6 is 3.

when x = 12 is 6.
Tips
2m means 2 × m,
so 2 × 5 = 10.
w
2
means w ÷ 2.
M
Practice
6 Work out the value of each expression.
a a + 10 when a = 6 b b − 3 when b = 120
c c + z when c = 3 and z = 17 d d − y when d = 40 and y = 15
SA

f
e 3e when e = 20 f when f = 35
5
g g + 2x when g = 1 and x = 6 h h − 4w when h = 17 and w = 2
j
i 2i + 3v when i = 3 and v = 2 j + u when j = 30 and u = 3
2
24 p+q
k − 3 when k = 8 l when p = 11 and q = 22
k 3

25to publication.
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior
 We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

2 Expressions, formulae and equations

7 Jana uses this formula to work out how much money her friends
will collect from their sponsored walk.

Money collected = distance walked (km) × sponsored rate ($ per km)

How much money do the following friends collect?

a Miriam walks 5 kilometres at a sponsored rate of
$16 per kilometre.

E
b Yara walks 8 kilometres at a sponsored rate of
$18 per kilometre.
8 a Write a formula for the number of hours in any number of
days, using:
i words ii letters

9 a

b
in four days.

b = 4 and h = 5 PL
b Use your formula in part a ii to work out the number of hours

Use the formula A = bh to work out A when:

i ii b = 3 and h = 12
Work out the value of b when A = 52 and h = 4.
10 a Write a formula for the number of hours for any number of
minutes, in:
Tip
bh means b × h.
M
i words ii letters
b Use your formula in part a ii to work out the number of hours
in 360 minutes.
11 Hiroto uses this formula to work out the times it should take him
to travel from his house to any of his friends’ houses. Tip
D
SA

T= , where: T is the time, in hours D means D ÷ S.

S S
D is the distance, in kilometres
S is the average speed, in kilometres per hour.
How long does it take Hiroto to travel from his house to:
a Souta’s house, which is 60 kilometres away, at an average
speed of 20 kilometres per hour?
b Hina’s house, which is 140 kilometres away, at an average
speed of 40 kilometres per hour?

26
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior to publication.
 We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

2.2 Using expressions and formulae

Challenge
12 The weight of an object is calculated using the formula W = mg, where:
W is the weight, in newtons (N)
m is the mass, in kg
g is the acceleration due to gravity, in m/s2
On Earth g = 10 m/s2, and on the Moon g = 2 m/s2.
The mass of a man is 75 kg and the mass of a lunar landing module is
10 344 kg.

E
a Work out the weight of the:
i man on Earth   ii lunar landing module on Earth.
b Work out the weight of the:
i man on the Moon ii lunar landing module on the Moon.

to give you the same answer?

x + 12 4x 6x − 8

PL
13 What value of x can you substitute into each of these expressions

14 Kwame uses the formula F = ma, where:

F is the force, in newtons (N)
m is the mass, in kg
a is the acceleration, in m/s2
M
He works out that F = 75 N when m = 25 kg.
What value of a did he use? Explain how you worked out your answer.
15 This is part of Kali’s homework. She has spilt tea on some of her work.

Question:
SA

Use the formula M =

to work out the value of M when:
i P = 51 and h = 17 ii P = 65 and h = 13
Solution:
i M =     = 3 ii M =    = 5

a What is the formula that Kali uses?

b Work out the value of M when P = 56 and h = 4.

27to publication.
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior
 We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

2 Expressions, formulae and equations

16 A cookery book shows how long it takes to cook a piece of meat.

Electric oven T = 70W Where:

T is the time, in minutes
Microwave oven T = 28W W is the weight of the
piece of meat, in kg.
a How much longer will it take to cook a 2 kg piece of meat in
an electric oven than in a microwave oven?
b A piece of meat takes 1 hour and 52 minutes to cook in a
microwave oven. How long would this same piece of meat take
to cook in an electric oven?

E
2.3 Collecting like terms Key words

Like terms are terms that

contain the same letter.

PL
The letter in an expression represents an unknown number but, if you
find it easier, you can think of the letter as an object.
You simplify an expression by collecting like terms.
Example:
2b + 3b = 5b
a + a = 2a
collecting like
terms
like terms
simplify
term

Tip
M
2a and 3a are like
terms. 2a and 3b
are not like terms.
Exercise 2.3 Think of a as an
apple, so
Focus
SA

1 Match the expression in each rectangle to its correct simplified Think of b as a

expression given in the oval. banana, so
The first one has been done for you: A and iii.

a + 4a a+a 3a + a a+a+a 5a + 4a 2a + 2a + 2a

A B C D E F
9a 3a 5a 6a 2a 4a Tip
i ii iii iv v vi Remember that a
means 1a.

28
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior to publication.