BUSINESS MATHEMATICS

Module Guide

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MANCOSA
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 This Module Guide,
Business Mathematics (NQF level 5),
module guide will be used across the following programmes:

 Higher Certificate in Business Management

 Bachelor of Commerce in Supply Chain Management
 Bachelor of Business Administration
 Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurship
 Bachelor of Commerce in Financial Management
 Bachelor of Commerce in Retail Management
 Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing Management
 Bachelor of Public Administration
 Bachelor of Commerce in International Business
 Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting
 BUSINESS MATHEMATICS

Preface.................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Unit 1: Basic Mathematics....................................................................................................................................... 6

Unit 2: Percentages............................................................................................................................................... 32

Unit 3: Algebra ...................................................................................................................................................... 42

Unit 4: Ratios and Proportions .............................................................................................................................. 61

Unit 5: Linear Graphs ............................................................................................................................................ 70

Answers to Revision Questions ............................................................................................................................ 84

Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................................... 91

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Preface
A. Welcome

Dear Student
It is a great pleasure to welcome you to Business Mathematics (BM5). To make sure that you share our passion
about this area of study, we encourage you to read this overview thoroughly. Refer to it as often as you need to
since it will certainly be making studying this module a lot easier. The intention of this module is to develop both
your confidence and proficiency in this module.

The field of Mathematics is extremely dynamic and challenging. The learning content, activities and self- study
questions contained in this guide will therefore provide you with opportunities to explore the latest developments
in this field and help you to discover the field of Mathematics as it is practiced today.

This is a distance-learning module. Since you do not have a tutor standing next to you while you study, you need
to apply self-discipline. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with each other via social media tools. Your
study skills will include self-direction and responsibility. However, you will gain a lot from the experience! These
study skills will contribute to your life skills, which will help you to succeed in all areas of life.

This module on Business Mathematics serves to refresh your mathematical skills.

This module will explain the various mathematical calculations necessary to prepare you for the study of
Accounting, Statistics and Economics. It will also provide you with the necessary exercises to ensure that the
concepts are understood.

The module is a 15credit module at NQF level 5.

We hope you enjoy the module.

MANCOSA does not own or purport to own, unless explicitly stated otherwise, any intellectual property
rights in or to multimedia used or provided in this module guide. Such multimedia is copyrighted by the
respective creators thereto and used by MANCOSA for educational purposes only. Should you wish to
use copyrighted material from this guide for purposes of your own that extend beyond fair dealing/use,
you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

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B. Learning Outcomes and Associated Assessment Criteria of the Module

LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE MODULE ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA OF THE MODULE

 Demonstrate an understanding of the  Basic concepts in Mathematics: whole numbers, fractions,

basic concepts of whole numbers, indices, numbering systems and the operations that are
fractions, mathematical operations and applied them are explored to give the learner a solid basis
numbering systems in Mathematics

 Exhibit an understanding of percentages  Mathematical operators and the rules governing them are
and associated operators in Mathematics explored to enhance the learner’s understanding of the
calculations involved in percentages and basic
Mathematical proportions

 Apply Mathematical reasoning to problem  Algebraic concepts are thoroughly examined, and practical
scenarios in order to provide solutions by examples used to enable learners to appreciate the
correctly using algebra application of mathematical reasoning to case scenarios
when solving problems of a Mathematical nature

 Manipulate number quantity aggregates  Concepts regarding aggregate numbers [Totals] are
and decompose them to their individual explored to reveal the reasoning behind a multiplication,
components based on share ratios and division, addition or subtraction decision when
proportions decomposing an aggregate total to its given constituent
shares and/or proportions

 Demonstrate an understanding of graphs  Practical examples of solving mathematical equations are

and the ability to interpret the information explored using the graphic method and algebra to enable
they communicate the learner to understand how to solve mathematical
problems through graphical analysis

C. Learning Outcomes of the Units

You will find the Unit Learning Outcomes on the introductory pages of each Unit in the Module Guide. The Unit
Learning Outcomes lists an overview of the areas you must demonstrate knowledge in and the practical skills
you must be able to achieve at the end of each Unit lesson in the Module Guide.

D. How to Use this Module

This Module Guide was compiled to help you work through your units and textbook for this module, by breaking
your studies into manageable parts. The Module Guide gives you extra theory and explanations where necessary,
and so enables you to get the most from your module.

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The purpose of the Module Guide is to allow you the opportunity to integrate the theoretical concepts from the
prescribed textbook and recommended readings. We suggest that you briefly skim read through the entire guide
to get an overview of its contents. At the beginning of each Unit, you will find a list of Learning Outcomes and
Associated Assessment Criteria. This outlines the main points that you should understand when you have
completed the Unit/s. Do not attempt to read and study everything at once. Each study session should be 90
minutes without a break

This module should be studied using the prescribed and recommended textbooks/readings and the relevant
sections of this Module Guide. You must read about the topic that you intend to study in the appropriate section
before you start reading the textbook in detail. Ensure that you make your own notes as you work through both
the textbook and this module. In the event that you do not have the prescribed and recommended
textbooks/readings, you must make use of any other source that deals with the sections in this module. If you
want to do further reading and need to obtain publications that were used as source documents when we wrote
this guide, you should look at the reference list and the bibliography at the end of the Module Guide. In addition,
at the end of each Unit there may be link to the PowerPoint presentation and other useful reading.

E. Study Material
The study material for this module includes tutorial letters, programme handbook, this Module Guide, a list of
prescribed and recommended textbooks/readings which may be supplemented by additional readings.

F. Prescribed and Recommended Textbook/Readings

There is at least one prescribed and recommended textbooks/readings allocated for the module.
The prescribed and recommended readings/textbooks present a tremendous amount of material in a simple,
easy-to-learn format. You should read ahead during your course. Make a point of it to re-read the learning content
in your module textbook. This will increase your retention of important concepts and skills. You may wish to read
more widely than just the Module Guide and the prescribed and recommended textbooks/readings, the
Bibliography and Reference list provides you with additional reading.

The prescribed and recommended textbooks/readings for this module is:

Prescribed
 Wegner, T. (2013) Basic Mathematics: A Revision Primer for Management Students. Second Edition. Juta.
This is the latest edition of the textbook that is available.

Recommended Readings
 Hazarika, P., (2017). A Textbook of Business Mathematics. Fourth Edition. New Delhi: S. Chand
Publishing.

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 Tulsain, P. & B, T., (2019). Tulsian's Business Mathematics Local Reasoning & Statistics for CA
Foundation Course. Chennai: McGraw Hill Education (India) Private Limited.
 Clendenen, G. & Salzman, S. A., (2019). Business Mathematics. Fourteenth Edition. s.l.:Pearson.

Journal Articles:
 Dean, S. and Illowsky, B., 2018. Descriptive statistics: skewness and the mean, median, and mode.
Connexions website.
 Träff, U., Skagerlund, K., Olsson, L. and Östergren, R., 2017. Pathways to arithmetic fact retrieval and
percentage calculation in adolescents. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 87(4), pp.647-663.
 Fu, X., Sheng, Q., Zhang, Y. and Chen, J., 2016. Investigation of highly efficient algorithms for solving linear
equations in the discontinuous deformation analysis method. International Journal for Numerical and
Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 40(4), pp.469-486.
 Joseph, B.W., 2019. Unpacking the Big Idea of Proportionality: Connecting Ratio, Rate, Proportion and
Variation. Big Ideas In Mathematics: Yearbook 2019, Association Of Mathematics Educators, p.187.
 Abd Kadir, F. and Hamid, M.R.A., 2019, December. Understanding of Slope of a Straight Line in
Communication Context. In 2019 13th International Conference on Mathematics, Actuarial Science,
Computer Science and Statistics (MACS) (pp. 1-4). IEEE.

G. Special Features
In the Module Guide, you will find the following icons together with a description. These are designed to help you
study. It is imperative that you work through them as they also provide guidelines for examination purposes.

Special Feature Icon Explanation

The Learning Outcomes indicate aspects of the particular unit you

LEARNING OUTCOMES
must master.

The Associated Assessment Criteria is the evaluation of the

ASSOCIATED
students’ understanding which are aligned to the outcomes. The
ASSESSMENT
Associated Assessment Criteria sets the standard for the successful
CRITERIA
demonstration of the understanding of a concept or skill.

A Think Point asks you to stop and think about an issue. Sometimes
THINK POINT you are asked to apply a concept to your own experience or to think
of an example.

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You may come across Activities that ask you to carry out specific
tasks. In most cases, there are no right or wrong answers to these
ACTIVITY
activities. The purpose of the activities is to give you an opportunity
to apply what you have learned.

At this point, you should read the references supplied. If you are
READINGS unable to acquire the suggested readings, then you are welcome to
consult any current source that deals with the subject.

PRACTICAL
Practical Application or Examples will be discussed to enhance
APPLICATION OR
understanding of this module.
EXAMPLES

You may come across Knowledge Check Questions at the end of

KNOWLEDGE CHECK each Unit in the form of Knowledge Check Questions (KCQ’s) that
QUESTIONS will test your knowledge. You should refer to the Module Guide or
your textbook(s) for the answers.

You may come across Revision Questions that test your

understanding of what you have learned so far. These may be
REVISION QUESTIONS
attempted with the aid of your textbooks, journal articles and Module
Guide.

Case Studies are included in different sections in this Module

CASE STUDY Guide. This activity provides students with the opportunity to apply
theory to practice.

You may come across links to Videos Activities as well as

VIDEO ACTIVITY
instructions on activities to attend to after watching the video.

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Unit
1: Basic Mathematics

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Unit Learning Outcomes

CONTENT LIST LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THIS UNIT:

1.1 Whole Numbers  Explain the concept of whole numbers

1.2 Mathematical operations  Calculate numbers using the basic mathematical operations

1.3 Fractions  Describe and identify fractions.

 Calculate fractions using the basic mathematical operations

1.4 Decimals  Describe the use of decimals

 Calculate decimals using the basic mathematical functions

1.5 Exponents  Describe the use of exponents

 Calculate basic exponential equations

1.6 Financial Mathematics  Examine financial mathematics

1.7 Introduction to Statistics  Understand and explain statistics

Prescribed Textbook:

 Wegner, T. (2013) Basic Mathematics: A Revision Primer for

Management Students. Second Edition. Juta. This is the latest edition of
the textbook that is available.

Video Links

 Pre-Algebra – Basic Introduction! [YouTube video]. (2017), added by The

Organic Chemistry Tutor. Available at https://youtu.be/vhm8ri0XNBM9
(Accessed: 24 July 2020).

 Simple Interest Formula [YouTube video]. (2017), added by The Organic

Chemistry Tutor. Available at https://youtu.be/NCYNXkbTTUo
(Accessed: 24 July 2020).

 Compound Interest Formula Explained, Investments, Monthly &

Continuously, Word Problems, Algebra [YouTube video]. (2016), added
by The Organic Chemistry Tutor. Available at
https://youtu.be/P182Abv3fOk (Accessed: 24 July 2020).

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1.1 Whole numbers

The simplest type of numbers in our number system are those represented by the symbols 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. The
popular term that refers to these numbers are integers. Integers are used to count whole objects rather than
fractions or parts of them. An integer that is greater than zero (i.e. 1, 2, 3, …) is called a positive integer, while
one that is less than zero is called a negative integer.

A whole number consists of digits, whereby a digit is defined as one of the integers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
Some numbers consist of one digit (e.g. 5), some consist of two digits (e.g. 55), others consist of three (e.g. 555)
or more. A one-digit number lies between 0 and 9, a two-digit number lies between 10 and 99, a three-digit
number lies between 100 and 999, a four-digit number lies between 1000 and 9999, and so on.

Think Point 1
1. Do you think that 5.5 can be considered an integer?

We use the so-called decimal system, since all numbers are based on the number 10. In this system, the value
of a digit depends on its position within the number.

Position of digit Value Name

First 1 Ones (or units)

Second 10 Tens

Third 100 Hundreds

Fourth 1000 Thousands

Fifth 10000 Tens of thousands

Sixth 100000 Hundreds of thousands

Seventh 1000000 Millions

Knowledge Check Questions 1

1. Is pi an integer? If not, why?
2. True or False? 620 consists of 6 Tens and 2 units.

Example: Write in words the number represented by each of the following:

1. 65
2. 1679

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3. 367297

Solution:
1. Sixty-five (6 tens and 5 units)
2. One thousand, six hundred and seventy-nine (1 thousand, 6 hundreds, 7 tens and 9 units)
3. Three hundred and sixty-seven thousand, two hundred and ninety-seven (3 hundreds of thousands, 6 tens
of thousands, 7 thousands, 2 hundreds, 9 tens and 7 units)

1.2 Mathematical operations

There are four types of mathematical operations that can be performed on numbers.
They are:
1. Multiplication (often represented by )
2. Division (often represented by  or /)
3. Addition (represented by +)
4. Subtraction (represented by -)

Think Point 2
1. Computations must be carried out in the order in which it is presented if the expression has
only multiplication and/or division operations or if the expression has only addition and/or
subtraction operations. For example: 5 - 1 + 2 = 4 + 2 = 6. Therefore, what would be the value
of 3×24÷6?

For a combination of operations, the order in which these operations should be performed in an expression is:
(a) multiplications and divisions first
(b) then additions and subtractions
For example: 8 – 2  3 = 8 – 6 = 2, not 6  3 = 18. However, to avoid ambiguity we often use parentheses (or
brackets) which take precedence over all four basic operations. Using parentheses in the above expression, we
could have written 8 – (2  3) to make the expression clearer, although we will still get the same answer of 2.

Suppose, however, that we wanted to subtract the 2 from the 8, then multiply the result by 3. Then the
parentheses laden expression would now read (8 – 2)  3. In this case, the answer will be 18.

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Multiplication
There are several ways of indicating that two numbers are being multiplied. For example, suppose that we wish
to multiply the number 5 and 7. Some of the common notations are:
1. 57
2. 57
3. 5 (7)
4. (5) 7
All these expressions mean the product of 5 and 7.
An expression of the type 5  7 = 35 is called an equation, which is a mathematical statement. An important
property of multiplication is its symmetry, i.e. reversing the order of the numbers result in the same answer.
In our case, 5  7 = 7  5 = 35.

Also, if two numbers have the same sign and are multiplied together, the result will be positive; if they have
different signs the result will be negative.

Example:
Calculate:
a) 3  (8 - 5)
b) (9 + 2)  7
c) –7  - 8

Solution:
a) 3  (8 - 5) = 3  3 = 9
b) (9 + 2)  7 = 11  7 = 77
c) -7  - 8 = 56

Division
There are several ways of indicating that two numbers are to be divided. For example, suppose that we wish to
divide the number 15 by the number 5. Some common notations for this are:
1. 15 / 5
2. 15  5
15
3. 5

In this case, the number to be divided (15) is called the dividend or numerator, and the number this is divided by
(5) is called the divisor or denominator. The answer to the division (in this case 3) is called the quotient.

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Division does not have symmetry. If the order of the numbers is changed, the answer is affected. For example,
in our case, 15 / 5 is not the same as 5 / 15. Instead, reversing the order of the numbers results in the inverse of
the actual answer. If the signs of the numerator and denominator are the same, the quotient will be positive; if
the signs are different, the quotient will be negative.
Example:
Calculate:
a) -3 / 6
b) –20  -4
5
c) 30

Solution:
a) -3 / 6 = -1 / 2 = (-0.5)
b) –20 -4 = 5
5 1
c) =
30 6

Addition
Addition does have symmetry. This means that the order in which the numbers appear does not affect the result.
For example, the expressions 2 + 3 and 3 + 2 are the same as they both give a result of 5.

Subtraction
Unlike addition, subtraction does not have symmetry. This means that the order in which the numbers appear
does affect the result. For example, the expression 8 – 3 is equal to 5, but 3 – 8 is equal to –5, not 5. Indeed,
reversing the order of the numbers result in the negative of the actual answer. When performing multiple additions
and subtractions, you should treat a + and – sign immediately next to each other as simply a – sign. Treat two –
signs immediately next to each other as a + sign.

Example:
Calculate:
a) 8 + (-7)
b) 18 – (-2)
c) 12 – (+3)

Solution:
a) 8 + (-7) = 8 – 7 = 1
b) 18 – (-2) = 18 + 2 = 20
c) 12 – (+3) = 12 – 3 = 9

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Knowledge Check Question 2

1. Is the following statement correct? 5 x 3+2 = 2+ 3 x 5

Video Activity 1
Watch the following video and answer the questions that follow: Pre-Algebra – Basic
Introduction! [YouTube video]. (2017), added by The Organic Chemistry Tutor. Available at
https://youtu.be/vhm8ri0XNBM9 (Accessed: 24 July 2020).

1. Using the rule of “PEMDAS”. Is 6 + 4 × 12 equal to 120 or 54? What order should the
operations be carried out
2. Using the rule of “PEMDAS”. Solve for: 21 ÷ (4+ 3) × 2

1.3 Fractions
A fraction is an expression that appears in the form
a
b
As stated previously, “a” is called the numerator and “b” is called the denominator. The denominator can take on
any value, except zero.

A proper fraction is one in which the numerator is less than the denominator (a<b).

Examples are:
2 8
𝑎𝑛𝑑
8 13

An improper fraction has the numerator greater than the denominator (a>b)

Examples are:
12 18
𝑎𝑛𝑑
5 13

Addition of fractions with the same denominator

To add fractions with the same denominator, add together the numerators to obtain the new numerator. The
denominator remains the same.

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Example: Add the following fractions:

1 3
a) 8
𝑎𝑛𝑑 8
2 4 7
b) , 𝑎𝑛𝑑 15
15 15

Solution:
1 3 1+3 4
a) 8
+8= 8
= 8
2 4 7 2+4+7 13
b) 15
+ 15 + 15
= 15
= 15

Addition of fractions with different denominators

We must change fractions with different denominators into fractions with identical denominators before we can
add the numerators. The identical denominator is called the lowest common denominator (LCD) and is the
smallest number into which the denominators will all divide. This smallest number itself is called the lowest
common multiple (LCM). It may be found by multiplying together common factors of the numbers.

Example:
Evaluate:
1 2 5
a) 3
+ 9
+ 6
2 4 1
b) 5
+
15
+
12

Solution:
a) The LCD in this case is 18.
Each fraction can now be expressed with a denominator of 18.
1 6 2 4 5 15
= 𝑎𝑛𝑑 = 𝑎𝑛𝑑 =
3 18 9 18 6 18
Therefore, adding the fractions with the same denominator gives:
6 4 15 6 + 4 + 15 25
+ + = =
18 18 18 18 18
b) The LCD in this case is 60.
Each fraction can now be expressed with a denominator of 60.
2 24 4 16 1 5
= 𝑎𝑛𝑑 = 𝑎𝑛𝑑 =
5 60 15 60 12 16

Therefore, adding the fractions with the same denominator gives:

24 16 5 24 + 16 + 5 45 3
+ + = = =
60 60 60 60 60 4

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Knowledge Check Question 3

3 2 3+2 5
1. Is the following solution correct? 6 + 12
=
6+12
=
18

Subtraction of fractions
The rules for addition also apply for subtraction.
This time the numerators are subtracted.
Example:

Evaluate:
11 7 14
a) 15
+ −
15 15
5 1 1
b) 16
−8 + 12

Solution:
11 7 14 11+7−14 4
a) 15
+ 15 − 15 = 15
= 15

b) The LCD in this case is 48. Each fraction can now be expressed with a denominator of 48.
5 15 1 6 1 4
= 𝑎𝑛𝑑 = 𝑎𝑛𝑑 =
16 48 8 48 12 48
Adding the fractions with the same denominators give:
15 6 4 15 − 6 − 4 13
− + = =
48 48 48 48 48

Multiplication of fractions
To multiply fractions, we multiply the numerators to get the new numerator and multiply the denominators to get
the new denominator. If there are common factors in the resulting fraction, they should be divided.

Example:
Evaluate:
2 5
a) 3
×6
4 3 7
b) 5
× ×
4 12

Solution:
2 5 2×5 10 5
a) 3
×6 = 3×6
= 18 = 9
4 3 7 4×3×7 84 7
b) 5
× 4 × 12 = 5×4×12 = 240 = 20

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Division of fractions
To divide one fraction by a second fraction, invert the second fraction, and then multiply it by the first. Thus, every
division problem can be changed into one of multiplication.

Example:
Evaluate:
1 5
a) 2
÷ 12
5 1 3
b) 14
÷8 ÷4

Solution:
1 5 1 12 1×12 12 6
a) 2
÷ 12 = 2
× 5
= 2×5
= 10 = 5
5 1 3 5 8 4 5×8×4 160 80
b) 14
÷8 ÷4= 14
×1 × 3 = 14×1×3 = 42
= 21

Activity Question 1
1.Solve the following question:
2
( + 1) 2
15 ×
8
(3 − ) 5
13

1.4 Decimals
Since our number system is based on the number 10, it is possible to express any fraction as a decimal. For
example, we use a decimal in our currency and in metric measurement. A decimal is really a fraction in which the
numerator has been divided by the denominator to yield an equivalent decimal expression.
A decimal consists of three components:
- An integer, followed by
- A decimal point, followed by
- Another integer.

The values of the digits that occur after the decimal point depend on how many positions they are after the point.

Position of digit after decimal point Value Name

First 0.1 Tenths

Second 0.01 Hundredths

Third 0.001 Thousandths

Fourth 0.0001 Ten-Thousandths

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Fifth 0.00001 Hundred-Thousandths

Sixth 0.000001 Millionths

If a number is expressed in decimal form, any zeros on the right-hand end after the decimal point and after the
last digit do not change the number’s value. For example, the decimals 0.5, 0.50, 0.500 and 0.5000 all represent
the same number. Also, if a number that is expressed in decimal form is less than 1, it is not uncommon for the
0 before the decimal point to be omitted. For example, 0.6 may be written simply as .6.

Think Point 3
1. Why do you think that the bold zero in 0.05 cannot be omitted, while the bold zero in 0.50
can be left out?

Example:
Express as fractions:
a) 0.3
b) 0.47
c) 0.763
d) 0.25

Solution:
3
a) 0.3 is three-tenths or 10
47
b) 0.47 is forty-seven hundredths or 100
763
c) 0.763 is seven hundred and sixty-three thousandths or 1000
25 1
d) 0.25 is twenty-five hundredths or one-quarter 100 or 4

Example:
Express as decimals:
1
a) 5
3
b) 4
7
c) 8

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Solution:
a) 0.2 (obtained by division)
b) 0.75
c) 0.875

Addition and subtraction of decimals

The rules for adding and subtracting integers are similar to those for integers. The main point is to always align
the numbers so that the decimal points are directly under each other. You may fill any unfilled spaces with zeros
so that each number has the same number of digits after the decimal point.

Example:
Evaluate:
a) 2.3 + 0.34 + 1.672
b) 5.7 – 2.49
Solution:
(a) 2.300
+ 0.340
+ 1.672
4.312
(b) 5.70
 2.49
3.21

Multiplication and division of decimals

Multiplication:
When multiplying two decimals, follow these steps:
1. Count the number of digits to the right of the decimal point for each number.
2. Add the number of digits found in Step 1 to obtain a number, say x.
3. Multiply the two original decimals, ignoring the decimal points.
4. In the answer in Step 3, mark the decimal point so that there are x digits to the right of the decimal point.
This is the answer to the original multiplication.

Example:
Evaluate:
a) 3.12  2.7
b) 5.542  6.78

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Solution:
(a) Since 3.12 and 2.7 have 2 and 1 digits after their decimal points respectively,
x = 2 + 1 = 3.
Perform the multiplication ignoring the decimal points:
312
 27
8424
Marking the decimal point in 8424 so that there are 3 digits to the right of the point yields 8.424, which is the
answer.
(b) Here, x = 5. Performing the multiplication ignoring the decimal points:
5542
 678
3757476
Marking the decimal point appropriately gives 37.57476, which is the answer.

Division:
When dividing decimals, follow these steps:
1. Count the number of digits that are in the divisor to the right of the decimal point. Call this number x.
2. Move the decimal point in the dividend x places to the right (adding zeros if necessary). Do the same to the
divisor.
3. Divide the transformed dividend (Step 2) by the transformed divisor (which now has no decimal point). The
quotient of this division is the answer.

Example:
Evaluate:
(a) 3.248  0.04
(b) 82.5  4.125

Solution:
(a) The divisor (0.04) has 2 digits to the right of the decimal point. Thus, x = 2. Move the decimal point 2 places
to the right in the dividend (3.248) to obtain 324.8. Do the same to 0.04 to obtain 4. We now divide 324.8
by 4:

81.2

4 324.8

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Therefore, the answer is 81.2.

(b) Here, x = 3. Move the decimal point 3 places to the right in the dividend (82.5) to obtain 82500. Do the
same to 4.125 to obtain 4125. We now divide 82500 by 4125:

20

4125 82 500

Therefore, the answer is 20.

Activity Question 2
1.Solve the following Question:
8.254 ÷ 0.03

1.5 Exponents
An exponent (or power) is a number that is written as a superscript to another number called the base. It tells
how many times the base is to be multiplied by itself. The position of the superscript is to the right of and a little
above the base.

A number that is expressed as a base with an exponent is said to be in exponential form. This form is written as
an where a is the base and n is the exponent or power.
Example:
Evaluate:
(a) 42
(b) 35

Solution:
(a) In this case, the base is 4 and the exponent is 2. Therefore:
42 = 4  4 = 16.
(b) In this case, the base is 3 and the exponent is 5. Therefore:
35 = 3  3  3  3  3 = 243.

There are a number of rules that can often simplify calculations involving exponents.

Positive exponents
Suppose that two numbers with the same base are expressed in exponential form.

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1. The product of those two numbers will have the same base with an exponent equal to the sum of the two
original exponents. That is:
am  an = am+n

2. The quotient of those two numbers will have the same base with an exponent equal to the difference of the
exponents. That is:
am  an = am-n

Example:
Evaluate:
1) 23  24
2) 36  34

Solution:
(a) Using the rule for multiplying numbers with the same base gives:
23  24 = 23+4 = 27 = 2  2  2  2  2  2  2 = 128.
(b) Using the rule for dividing numbers with the same base gives:
36  34 = 36-4 = 32 = 3  3 = 9.

If a number already expressed in exponential form is itself raised to another exponent, the result is a number with
the original base and an exponent equal to the product of the two exponents. That is:
(am)n = amn

Example:
Evaluate:
(53)2
Solution:
Using the equation for raising a number in exponential form to another exponent (in this case raising 53 to the
exponent 2) gives:
(53)2 = 532 = 56 = 5  5  5  5  5  5 = 15625.

Negative exponents
A number expressed in exponential with a negative exponent is called the reciprocal (or inverse) of the same
number with the negative sign removed from the exponent. That is:
1
a-n = 𝑎𝑛

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Business Mathematics

Example:
Evaluate:
(a) 2-3
(b) (22)-3

Solution:
(a) Using the rule for negative exponents gives:
1 1
2-3 = 23 = 8

(b) Using the rules for raising a number in exponential form to another exponent gives:
(22)-3 = 2-6
Now applying the rule for negative exponents gives:
1 1
2-6 = 26 = 64

Fractional exponents
The definition of an exponent (an) can be extended to include situations where n is a fraction. In particular, if n is
of the form 1/k (where k is an integer), a1/k is said to be the ‘kth root of a’. The kth root of a number is obtained by
multiplying the number by itself k times and thereafter inverting it.

Special kth roots are k = 2 (called the square root) and k = 3 (called the cube root).
The equations below illustrate the relationship between fractional exponents and the root of a number:
𝑘
𝑎1/𝑘 = √𝑎
𝑛
𝑎𝑚/𝑛 = √𝑎𝑚

Example:
Evaluate:
(a) 91/2
(b) (51/2)4
3
(c) √27
Solution:
a) 91/2 = (32)1/2 = (3)2×1/2 = 31 = 3
b) (51/2)4 = (5)1/2  4 = 52 = 25
3
c) √27 = (27)1/3 = (33 )1/3 = 33×1/3 = 31 = 3

Zero exponent
𝑎𝑛
Under our definitions, the expression a0 = an-n = 𝑎𝑛 =1

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 Business Mathematics

Therefore, any number (except 0) raised to the exponent 0 is 1(00 is undefined).

Example:
Find the value of 50.
Solution: 50 = 1

1.6 Financial Mathematics

Simple and Compound Interest
Interest is generally charged on accounts (such as loan accounts) as a means of paying back the lender for the
privilege of borrowing money from them. Interest can also be the money earned from depositing money into an
account (such as a bank account). Typically, simple or compound interest is charged or earned on accounts.

a) Simple Interest
Simple interest is interest that is calculated based only on the original or principle amount. It is computed using
the following formula:
𝑺𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 = 𝑷𝒊𝒏
Where, P= Principle/original amount
i = interest rate
n = number of years

The total amount due after interest is charged can be calculated as follows:
𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 = 𝑷(𝟏 + 𝒊𝒏)

Example
A loan of R200 000 is taken at ABC bank. Interest is charged at 5% p.a. simple interest. Calculate how much of
interest is payable to ABC bank at the end of 4 years. Further, determine the final amount that would be owed to
ABC bank after 4 years.

Solution:
Using the simple interest formula, the interest owed can be determined as
𝑺𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 = 𝑷𝒊𝒏 = 𝑹𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝟎𝟎𝟎 × 𝟓% × 𝟒 = 𝑹𝟒𝟎 𝟎𝟎𝟎
The final amount payable to ABC bank would then be determined using the final amount formula
𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 = 𝑷(𝟏 + 𝒊𝒏) = 𝑹𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝟎𝟎𝟎(𝟏 + 𝟓% × 𝟒) = 𝑹𝟐𝟒𝟎 𝟎𝟎𝟎

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Business Mathematics

Video Activity 2
Watch the following video and answer the question that follows: Simple Interest Formula
[YouTube video]. (2017), added by The Organic Chemistry Tutor. Available at
https://youtu.be/NCYNXkbTTUo (Accessed: 24 July 2020).

Using the simple interest formula given in the video (I = PRT), determine how many years
it will take Mary to earn R2500 in interest if she invested R5000 into a savings account
that offers her an annual interest rate of 9%.

b) Compound Interest
Compound interest is interest that is calculated based on the original amount as well as the interest that has been
accumulated from past periods. It is computed using the following compound interest formula:
𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 = 𝑷[(𝟏 + 𝒊)𝒏 − 𝟏]

The total amount due after interest is charged can be calculated as follows:
𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 = 𝑷(𝟏 + 𝒊)𝒏

Example
Mason has borrowed R3000 from her friend Yuri at an interest rate of 10% p.a. compounded annually. Mason
intends to pay Yuri back after 2 years. Calculate the total amount payable after 2 years.

Solution:
Using the compound interest final amount formula, the amount owed can be determined as,
𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 = 𝑷(𝟏 + 𝒊)𝒏 = 𝟑𝟎𝟎𝟎(𝟏 + 𝟏𝟎%)𝟐 = 𝑹𝟑𝟔𝟑𝟎

Future value and present value in annuities

a) Future value annuities
An annuity is an investment that is meant to generate fixed payments over a specific period of time. Annuities
are typically offered at insurance companies as long-term policies. The future value of an annuity is the amount
that will accumulate over time after investing. The future value is important as it provides investors with an
indication of how much their investment will be worth in the future.

If regular monthly payments are made into an annuity (and the interest is compounded monthly), the future value
can be computed using the following formula:

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 Business Mathematics

𝒊 𝒏×𝟏𝟐
𝒙[(𝟏 + 𝟏𝟐) − 𝟏]
𝑭𝒗 =
𝒊
𝟏𝟐
Where, x = monthly payment amount

By rearranging the above formula, the amount that must be invested monthly to achieve the future value can be
computed as,
𝒊
𝑭𝒗 × 𝟏𝟐
𝒙=
𝒊 𝒏×𝟏𝟐
[(𝟏 + 𝟏𝟐) − 𝟏]

Example
Bill invests R500 at the end of every month into a savings account. If the interest rate is 7.5% p.a. compounded
monthly, determine the future value of the investment after 5 years.
Solution:
The future value can be determined by substituting into the formula as follows,
𝒊 𝒏×𝟏𝟐 𝟕. 𝟓% 𝟓×𝟏𝟐
𝒙[(𝟏 + 𝟏𝟐) − 𝟏] 𝑹𝟓𝟎𝟎[(𝟏 + 𝟏𝟐 ) − 𝟏]
𝑭𝒗 = = = 𝑹𝟑𝟔𝟐𝟔𝟑. 𝟓𝟓
𝒊 𝟕. 𝟓%
𝟏𝟐 𝟏𝟐

b) Present value annuities

The present value annuity is the amount that was initially borrowed and must be paid back in equal monthly
payments This sort of calculation is usually done when loans are taken.

If regular monthly payments are made into an annuity (where interest is compounded monthly), the present value
is calculated using the following formula:
𝒊 −𝒏×𝟏𝟐
𝒙[𝟏 − (𝟏 + 𝟏𝟐) ]
𝑷𝒗 =
𝒊
𝟏𝟐

By rearranging the above formula, the amount that must be paid monthly to achieve the present value can be
computed as,
𝒊
𝑷𝒗 × 𝟏𝟐
𝒙=
𝒊 −𝒏×𝟏𝟐
[𝟏 − (𝟏 + ) ]
𝟏𝟐

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Business Mathematics

Example
Max repays a loan with a regular monthly payment of R200 over a period of 6 years. If the interest rate is 16%
p.a. compounded monthly, determine the present value of the loan.

Solution:
The value of the can be determined by substituting into the formula as follows,
𝒊 −𝒏×𝟏𝟐 𝟏𝟔% −𝟔×𝟏𝟐
𝒙[𝟏 − (𝟏 + 𝟏𝟐) ] 𝑹𝟐𝟎𝟎[𝟏 − (𝟏 + 𝟏𝟐 ) ]
𝑷𝒗 = = = 𝑹𝟗𝟐𝟐𝟎
𝒊 𝟏𝟔%
𝟏𝟐 𝟏𝟐
Depreciation of assets
Assets, such as equipment and vehicles, owned by a company has a lifespan. The value of these types of assets
diminish (or lessen) with time until it becomes zero at the end of its lifespan. Depreciation is a term that is used
to represent how much the value (or cost) of an asset has diminished over time. Depreciation is necessary to
reflect the actual value of the asset in the company at a particular time.

If depreciation is calculated using the reducing balance method, the following formula can be used to determine
the value at a particular time,
𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 = 𝑷(𝟏 − 𝒊)𝒏

Example
A new vehicle was purchased by BS Traders for R300 000. The vehicle depreciates at a rate of 15% p.a. on a
reducing balance. BS Traders wants to trade-in the vehicle at its book value in order to purchase a new vehicle
in 6 years. Determine the book-value of the vehicle in 6 years.

Solution:
The trade-in value can be determined by substituting into the depreciation formula as follows,
𝑷𝒗 = 𝑷(𝟏 − 𝒊)𝒏 = 𝑹𝟑𝟎𝟎 𝟎𝟎𝟎(𝟏 − 𝟏𝟓%)𝟔 = 𝑹𝟏𝟏𝟑 𝟏𝟒𝟒. 𝟖𝟓

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Case Study 1
“As noted by Lusardi and Mitchell (2009), the delivery method of financial education may
have an impact on learning outcomes. Despite the promise of using interactive learning tools
for teaching interest compounding, the utility of these tools has yet to be empirically
investigated. In this study, we developed and evaluated three different educational tools to
teach interest compounding (i.e., text, linear, and volumetric). All tools were interactive and
provided feedback to the user in real time, but they varied in the way that data were displayed.
In the text tool, data were displayed in table format. In the linear tool, we used a linear graph
that plotted time on the X-axis and account balance (principal plus interest) on the Y-axis.
Finally, in the volumetric tool, we used squares in 2-D space to represent account balance
and colour to indicate time.

The design of our tools and our theoretical perspective were informed by literature expanding
beyond the financial education field. We chose to incorporate graphical representations (i.e.,
linear and volumetric tools) because psychological research has shown that graphical
representations can play a facilitative role in problem solving and knowledge acquisition
across a variety of domains (e.g., Winn 1989; Larkin and Simon 1987). Graphical
representations shift information processing to the perceptual system, enhancing problem-
solving capabilities and helping the user to identify trends and access information (e.g., Lurie
and Mason 2007). Moreover, graphics (particularly those that express dynamic relations) can
directly illustrate information that is only implicit in static textual displays (Larkin and Simon
1987). These features of graphical representations may be especially important in the domain
of financial literacy, given the cognitive load required to examine textual representations of
financial data” (Hubbard, et al., 2016)

Questions:
1. What are the benefits of using technology to carry out interest computations?
2. Which of the three tools of carrying out interest computations would you prefer to use?
Provide a reason for your answer.

1.7 Introduction to Statistics

Statistics is the science of developing a study, gathering data and thereafter analysing trends from the data.
Business statistics is a field of statistics that has business applications (such as financial analysis and quality
assurance). Using statistical indicators such as mean, median and mode, managers can monitor and control
activities in the business. By looking at trends and understanding the relationships between numbers, managers
can make and justify business decisions.

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Business Mathematics

The mean
The mean or average is determined by adding all the data values in a set and dividing it by the total number of
data values in the set. The formula for determining the mean of a set is:
∑ 𝑥𝑖
𝑥̅ =
𝑛
Where, 𝑥̅ = mean of the data set
𝑥𝑖 = a data point in the set
𝑛 = the number of data points in the set

The median
The median is the middle number in the data set. To determine the median, the data points in the data set has
to be arranged in ascending order (smallest to biggest) and the value that falls in the middle of the ordered data
set would be selected. If there is an even number of data points, the median is given by the average the two
middle data points.

The mode
The mode is the most frequently occurring data point in the data set. To determine the mode, simply select the
data point that is most common in the data set.

Example
A junior marketer is doing research on her company’s new skincare product to evaluate how well it will perform
on the market. She conducts a survey by asking individuals to try the new skincare product and rate it out of 20.
The raw data she received is shown below. Determine the mean, median and mode of the raw data to aid the
marketer in her statistical analysis.

Raw data: 15, 20, 18, 12, 3, 16, 19, 9, 6, 18, 10, 20, 18

Solution:
The mean is the average and can be determined by applying the mean formula as follows,
∑ 𝑥𝑖 15 + 20 + 18 + 12 + 3 + 16 + 19 + 9 + 6 + 18 + 10 + 20 + 18
𝑥̅ = =
𝑛 13
𝑥̅ = 14,15
Therefore, the mean is 14.15

In order to determine the median, the data set will have to be arranged in ascending order.
3, 6, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16, 18,18,18, 19, 20, 20

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 Business Mathematics

Therefore, the number that lies in the middle of this data set is 16 (since there is an equal number of data points
(6) on either side of the middle term). Therefore, the median is 16.

The mode can be easily established once the data set is arranged in ascending order. The most common data
point in the data set is 18, therefore the mode is 18.

Revision Questions
1. Evaluate the following:
3 2 5
a) 4
×9÷6
1 1 3 5 3
b) 2
− 8 + 16 ÷ 8 + 16

c) 0.4 - 0.18 + 0.326

2+6
d) 20−4

2. Evaluate the following:

a) 33 × 9−2 × 22
b) 5−2 × 4−3 × 202
c) 43 – (-14) + 36
d) 12 × (43 – 36)

3. Express as decimals:
4
a) 9
9
b) 20

4. Express as fractions:
a. 0.49
b. 0.986

5. Determine how much of money was loaned from DA Stores if Mary paid back R6000 after
2 years at a rate of 10% p.a. simple interest.

6. Calculate the compound interest if R50 250 was borrowed for 6 years at a rate of 5.5%
p.a. compound annually.

MANCOSA 28
Business Mathematics

7. Determine what the monthly payment into a future value annuity would be in order to obtain
R50000 in 4 years. The interest rate is 15% p.a. compounded monthly.

8. Determine what the monthly payment needs to be made for 6 years towards a loan of value
R200 0000. The interest rate is 12.5% p.a. compounded monthly.

9. SK Stores purchases new equipment for R20000. Determine the value of the equipment
in 3 years if it depreciates at 9% p.a. on a reducing balance.

10. The average closing price of stocks are given as:

15.03, 13.15, 25.43, 96.54, 105.24, 12.05, 64.85
Determine the mean and median stock price.

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 Business Mathematics

Answers to Activities
Unit 1
Knowledge Check Question 1 (Section 1.1)
1. No, pi is not a whole number
2. False

Knowledge Check Question 2 (Section 1.2)

1. Yes

Knowledge Check Question 3 (Section 1.3)

1. No

Activity Question 1(Section 1.3)

442
1. 2325

Activity Question 2(Section 1.4)

1. 275.13

Case study 1(Section 1.6)

1. Tedious computations can be carried out efficiently and accurately.
2. The linear tool as it provides an easy-to-read graphical representation that users can easily extract
information and identify trends.

Video Activity 1(Section 1.2)

1. 54. Multiplication before addition
2. 6

Video Activity 2(Section 1.6)

1. 5,5 years

Think point 1(Section 1.1)

1.No, it cannot be considered an integer as it has a decimal.

Think point 2(Section 1.2)

1.12

MANCOSA 30
Business Mathematics

Think point 3(Section 1.4)

1.Ending zeros (as in 0.50) can be left out as they provide no additional information (they do not change the
place value of the number but do not change the actual value of the number)

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Unit
2: Percentages

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Business Mathematics

Unit Learning Outcomes

CONTENT LIST LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THIS UNIT:

2.1 Conversion to and from percentages  Convert numbers and fractions to percentages
 Convert percentages to fractions
 Solve simple equations using percentages

Prescribed Textbook:
 Wegner, T. (2013) Basic Mathematics: A Revision Primer for Management
Students. Second Edition. Juta. This is the latest edition of the textbook that is
available.

Video Links

 The meaning of percent [YouTube Video]. (2020), added by Khan

Academy. Available at https://www.khanacademy.org/math/pre-
algebra/pre-algebra-ratios-rates/pre-algebra-intro-
percents/v/describing-the-meaning-of-percent (Accessed: 24 July
2020).
 Percentage Word Problems [YouTube video]. (2016), added by The
Organic Chemistry Tutor. Available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjpwBu6DmkM (Accessed: 31 July
2020).

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2.1 Conversion to and from percentages

One of the most important concepts in business is that of percentage. To express one number as a percentage
of another is to give its relative value expressed as the numerator of the equivalent fraction in which 100 is the
denominator. The symbol for percentage is %. To convert a fraction to a percentage, multiply the fraction by 100
and write the percentage sign after the answer.

Think Point 1
1.Think of a situation in which you had to apply the concept of percentages to solve a problem.

Example: Convert to percentages:

1
a)
2
2
b)
3

Solution:
1
a) 2
× 100% = 50%
2
b) 3
× 100% = 66.67%

To convert a decimal to a percentage, we also multiply it by 100. This is done by moving the decimal point two
digits to the right and writing the percentage symbol after the answer.

Knowledge Check Question 1

1. True or false: is ¾ equivalent to 75%?

Video Activity 1

Watch the following video and answer the question that follows: The meaning of
percent [YouTube Video]. (2020), added by Khan Academy. Available at
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/pre-algebra/pre-algebra-ratios-rates/pre-algebra-intro-
percents/v/describing-the-meaning-of-percent (Accessed: 24 July 2020).

MANCOSA 34
Business Mathematics

1. Using the method of determining a percentage of a number shown in the video, determine
what is 45% of 2.5. Provide your answer in the form of an improper fraction, mixed fraction
and decimal.

Example:
Express as percentages:
a) 0.25
b) 0.872
c) 2.35

Solution:
a) 0.25  100% = 25 %
b) 0.872  100% = 87.2 %
c) 2.35  100% = 235 %

Think Point 2
1.In what situations would a percentage be greater than 100 (e.g. 235%)?

To convert a percentage to a fraction, divide the percentage by 100 and remove the percentage symbol. Simplify
the fraction if possible.

Knowledge Check Question 2

1. Is the following statement correct?
5.32 as a percentage is 53.2%

Video Activity 2
Watch the following video and answer the questions that follow: Percentage Word
Problems [YouTube video]. (2016), added by The Organic Chemistry Tutor. Available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjpwBu6DmkM (Accessed: 31 July 2020).

1. Determine the percentage change if price if a stock initially costed R25 at the beginning
of the year and R60 at the end of the year.

35 MANCOSA
 Business Mathematics

Example:
Convert to fractions:
a) 37.5 %
b) 72 %
c) 250 %

Solution:

37.5 3
a) 37.5% = 100 = 8
72 18
b) 72% = 100 = 25
250 5
c) 250% =
100
=
2

Knowledge Check Question 3

1. Is the following statement correct?
25.24% as a decimal is 2.524

To convert a percentage to a decimal, divide the percentage by 100. That is, place a decimal point two digits to
the left of the percentage symbol and remove the percentage symbol.

Example:
Convert to decimals:
a) 80 %
b) 45.78 %
c) 150 %
Solution:
a) 80 % = 0.80 (or 0.8)
b) 45.78 % = 0.4578
c) 150 % = 1.50 (or 1.5)

Activity Question 1
1.Convert the following percentages to decimals
a) 2.3%
b) 342%

MANCOSA 36
Business Mathematics

There are many instances where economic and business statistics are expressed as percentages, along with
reports from surveys in a variety of areas that appear in all sections of the media as well as scientific journals.

Some examples are:

1. 49 % of the total population in Africa are HIV positive.
2. In a certain company, 71 % of the employees are male. This obviously means that only 29 % are female.
3. In a survey of the television habits of South Africans, it was discovered that 79 % watched sports, 65 %
watched news and current affairs programs, 22 % watched serials and only 15 % watched documentaries.
The biggest difference between the sexes came in the sports department, where 84 % of males watched
sport, but only 18 % of women.

Think Point 3
1.Think of three ways percentages are used in business applications.

Case Study 1:
“Let’s say a tourist buys a $100 meal at a local restaurant. To produce that meal, the
restaurant must buy some local vegetables, fish, and bread, as well as some tables, chairs,
and plates, and so on. So, the purchase of the meal helps not only the restaurant business
but also businesses in other sectors of the economy. The owners and workers at these
businesses earn additional income, a portion of which they spend on the services and
products of still other businesses…”

“The fact that restaurants need tables does not mean that if, during a mega-sporting event,
a restaurant experiences a 10-percent increase in its sales revenue, it will buy 10 percent
more tables. It could also mean that the restaurant makes fuller use of its existing capacity,
or that it has the same number of customers but has raised its prices 10 percent…” (Zimbalist,
2015)

Questions:
1. The sales at the local restaurant amounted to $125 000. If there was a 10% increase in
sales, what is the new sales amount?
2. If the average price of a meal at the restaurant is $100, what would be the price after
increasing the price by 10%?

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Activity Question 2
1. If 30% of the sample size is 60. What is the sample size?

Example:
A group of 25 people contains 12 males.
- What percentage are males?
- What percentage are females?

Solution:
% males = (number of males / number of people) × 100
= (12 / 25) × 100 = 48 %
% females = 100 % - 48 % = 52 % [or (13 / 25) × 100 = 52 %]

Revision Questions
1. Convert to percentages:
1
a)
4
1
b)
8
5
c)
12
d) 0.056
e) 0.43
f) 0.916

2. Convert to decimals:
a) 59.5 %
b) 12.5%
c) 290 %

3. Convert to fractions:
a) 22.5 %
b) 66.7 %
c) 87.5 %

MANCOSA 38
Business Mathematics

4. In a class test, Student A scored 58 marks out of a total of 90, while student B
scored 67 out of a total of 110. Who performed better?

5. A sample of 500 people consists of 56 Whites, 43 Indians, 12 Coloureds and the

rest are Blacks. Determine the percentage of each race group in the sample.

6. A sample of 200 people consists of 35% males. How many females and males
are in the sample?

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 Business Mathematics

Answers to Activities
Unit 2
Knowledge Check Question 1 (Section 2.1)
1. True

Knowledge Check Question 2(Section 2.1)

1. No

Knowledge Check Question 3 (Section 2.1)

1. No

Activity Question 1(Section 2.1)

1. a) 0.023
b) 3.42

Activity Question 2(Section 2.1)

1. 200

Case study 1 (Section 2.1)

1. $137500
2. $110

Video activity 1 (Section 2.1)

9 1
= 1 = 1.125
8 8

Video activity 2 (Section 2.1)

140%

Think point 1 (Section 2.1)

1.Percentages can be applied to quantify and compare how much your expenses or income has increased over
a period of time.

Think point 2 (Section 2.1)

1. A 235% mark-up in cost would imply that the cost has increased 2.35 times its initial cost.

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Think point 3 (Section 2.1)

1. Discounts in stores, rates of inflation, bank interest rates, taxation rates

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Unit
3: Algebra

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Unit Learning Outcomes

CONTENT LIST LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THIS UNIT:

3.1 Definitions  Explain what algebra is using its terms and definitions

3.2 Algebraic expressions  Describe algebraic expressions

 Describe how algebraic expressions are formed

3.3 Solving linear equations  Solve for the unknown in simple linear equations

3.4 Solving simultaneous linear  Calculate simultaneous linear equations

equations

3.5 Applications  Apply your knowledge in solving equations to solve word

problems

Prescribed Textbook:
 Wegner, T. (2013) Basic Mathematics: A Revision Primer for
Management Students. Second Edition. Juta. This is the latest edition of
the textbook that is available.

Video Links
 Algebra Introduction – Basic Overview – Online Crash Course Review
Video Tutorial Lessons [YouTube video]. (2017), added by The Organic
Chemistry Tutor. Available at https://youtu.be/grnP3mduZkM (Accessed:
24 July 2020).
 Algebra – expanding and simplifying brackets [YouTube video]. (2013),
added by tecmath. Available at https://youtu.be/9r6_wDpxKjQ
(Accessed: 24 July 2020).
 Solving Linear Equations – Basic Algebra Shortcut Tricks! [YouTube
video]. (2016), added by The Organic Chemistry Tutor. Available at
https://youtu.be/gSWTqZrC7Ac (Accessed: 24 July 2020).
 Simultaneous Equations – Tons of Equations [YouTube video]. (2016),
added by The Organic Chemistry Tutor. Available at
https://youtu.be/clY_pbtBneA (Accessed: 24 July 2020).

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3.1 Definitions
Algebra is the study of the mathematical art of reasoning by means of a systematised notation including letters
and other symbols. For our purposes, the symbols used will be the letters of the alphabet. Before commencing
the application of algebraic techniques, it is necessary to define some of the commonly used terms.

A constant is a term whose value does not change. For example, 12, -0.5, π (pi) and -230.65 are all constants
since their values do not change. In algebra it is common to use a letter of the alphabet to represent a constant.
Although any letter will suffice, it is usual to use letters near the beginning of the alphabet, e.g. a, b, c, d.

A variable is a term whose quantity can have different values. Variables are also usually represented by letters
of the alphabet. While any letter may suffice, it is usual to use letters near the end of the alphabet, e.g. x, y, z.
However, if a variable represents a particular quantity, it is also common to use, say, the first letter of the name
of the quantity to be used as the variable name.

Example:
Suppose that in various problems we are trying to find the values of certain unknown quantities. Although any
variable name will suffice, it is easier and more convenient to use symbols that relate to the quantities themselves.
However, in the same problem, the same variable name should not be used to represent different quantities.
Some examples of variable names that could be used for the listed quantities as follows:

Quantity Variable name

Number of eggs to buy e
Time to reach work t
Cost of a can of cola c
Length of a school ground l
Speed of an athlete s

An (algebraic) expression is a combination of constants and variables by the use of arithmetic operations (such
as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division).
Examples of expressions are:
- 2
- -3x
- x3 – 5x2 + 3x – 18
- 25 m – 12 n2
𝑌−6
- 𝑋+7
𝑥 4 −5𝑢+6𝜋
- ℎ−9.0𝑥𝑢

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A term is a part of an expression that is connected to another term by a + or a – sign. For example, in the
expression 4x + 6y – 9z, the terms are 4x, 6y and 9z. If there is no sign written in front of a term, it is always
understood that the sign is +.

A (numerical) coefficient is a factor by which the rest of a term is multiplied. For example, the term 5xy has a
coefficient of 5 and the term –15z has a coefficient of -15.

The degree of an expression is the highest exponent (or power) of any variable contained in the expression. For
example, the expression 3x + 7 is a linear (or first degree) expression, 9x2 – 4x + 1 is quadratic (or second degree)
and 10y3 + 4y2 – y + 8 is cubic (or third degree). A linear equation is therefore one in which the largest exponent
in the equation is 1(first degree).

In an expression, terms that differ only in their coefficients are said to be like terms.
For example, in the expression 15x – 5y + 32 – 4x + 6xy + x2 + 3y, the terms 15x and –4x are like terms. Also,
the terms –5y and +3y are like terms.

An equation is a statement that two expressions are equal. The two expressions are shown to be equal by means
of an equal (=) sign.

Knowledge Check Question 1

1. What is the coefficient of the term: 534xyz

Example:
Suppose that the two expressions 3x + 6 and 5x – 2 are equal.
The resulting equation is:
3x + 6 = 5x – 2
The process of finding the value of a variable that will make the equation a true statement is called solving the
equation. The value of the variable that satisfies the equation is called the solution of the equation. In particular,
the value x = 4 is the solution to the equation above. i.e. x = 4 is said to satisfy the equation.

Simultaneous equations are equations that must be solved simultaneously (i.e. at the same time) in order to find
the values of the variables that will solve all the equations.
An example of simultaneous equations containing the variables x and y is:

4x + 3y = 11

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5x – 2y = 8

A formula is a rule or principle that is expressed in terms of algebraic symbols. An example would be a formula
to find the area of a rectangle, expressed as:
A=LB
where A = area of the rectangle
L = length of the rectangle
B = breadth of the rectangle
To find the area (A), the values of L and B are substituted into the formula.

On some occasions we may wish to use the same formula to find different quantities in the formula. For example,
we may wish to find the length of a rectangle for which the area and breadth are known. In this case, we can
rewrite the formula, making L the subject of the formula by dividing both sides by B.
Hence, we have:
𝐴
𝐿=
𝐵
Formulae may be rewritten using the techniques described later.

Knowledge Check Question 2

1. If the area of a square is 25m2, what is the length of the sides if the area formula for

a square is given as A = L x L

Think Point 1
1.Think of a business-related formula that uses algebraic symbols.

3.2 Algebraic expressions

In order to simplify an expression it is important to understand some of the basic rules that apply to algebraic
expressions.

RULE: If an expression contains like terms, these terms may be combined into a single term. Like terms differ
only in their numerical coefficient. Constants may also be combined into a single constant.
Example:
The expression 5x – 2y + 4z + 7 – 3x + 7y – 6z + 4 contains like terms:
- 5x and –3x are like terms

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- -2y and 7y are like terms

- 4z and –6z are like terms
- 7 and 4 are constants
Like terms can be combined to form a single term:
5x and –3x may be combined to give a single term: 5x – 3x = 2x
-2y and 7y may be combined to give a single term: -2y + 7y = 5y
4z and –6z may be combined to give a single term: 4z – 6z = -2z
7 and 4 may be combined to form a single constant: 7 + 4 = 11
Hence, the expression may be simplified to: 2x + 5y – 2z + 11

Activity Question 1
1.Simplify the following expression
34xy + 4x - 5y + 2 - 7 + 6xy

RULE: When an expression is contained in parentheses (brackets), each term within the parentheses is multiplied
by any coefficient written outside the parentheses.

Example:
Consider the expression: 2(3x + 4y – 1)
To remove the parentheses, we must multiply each term within the parentheses by the coefficient 2.
Thus, the expression may be written as:
2(3x) + 2(4y) +2(-1) = 6x + 8y – 2

RULE: To multiply one expression by another, multiply each term of one expression by each term of the other
expression. The resulting expression (which should be simplified by collecting any like terms) is said to be the
product of the two expressions.

Example:
Consider the expression: 5x (2x – y + 4)
To remove the parentheses, we must multiply each term within the parentheses by the coefficient 5x.
Thus, the expression may be written:
5x(2x) +5x(-y) + 5x (4) = 10x2 – 5xy + 20x
Example:
Find the product of the two expressions 3x + 2 and 2x – 1.

Solution: We are required to find the value of (3x + 2) (2x – 1).

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This may be written as:

(3x + 2) (2x – 1) = 3x (2x – 1) + 2(2x – 1)
= 3x(2x) + 3x (-1) + 2(2x) + 2(-1)
= 6x2 – 3x + 4x – 2
= 6x2 + 1x – 2
= 6x2 + x – 2 (the coefficient 1 is not usually written)

Note: Like normal multiplication, the order of the two parentheses are not important. In the above example, (3x +
2) (2x – 1) could be written as (2x – 1) (3x + 2). This will result in the same product 6x2 + x – 2.
Verify this as an exercise.

Think Point 2
Would the order of the parentheses matter if the brackets were divided?
Is (2x – 1) ÷ (3x + 2) the same as (3x + 2) ÷ (2x – 1)?

Video Activity 1
Watch the following video and answer the question that follows: Algebra Introduction – Basic
Overview – Online Crash Course Review Video Tutorial Lessons [YouTube video]. (2017),
added by The Organic Chemistry Tutor. Available at https://youtu.be/grnP3mduZkM
(Accessed: 24 July 2020).

1. The following expression is presented in video: (2𝑥 − 3)2 . This is a special case in
mathematics called “squaring a binomial” and can be solved by a general formula:
(𝑎 − 𝑏)2 = 𝑎2 − 2𝑎𝑏 + 𝑏 2 . Expand (2𝑥 − 3)2 using the general rule and verify the
answer in the video.

Knowledge Check Question 3

1. Is the following expansion correct?
(2𝑥 + 5𝑦)2 = 4𝑥 2 + 10𝑥𝑦 + 25𝑦 2

3.3 Solving linear equations

To find the value of a variable that will satisfy a linear equation, follow these steps:
1. Place like terms on the same side of the equation (either to the left or right of the equal sign).
2. Any arithmetic operation that you perform on one side of the equation, you must also perform on the other
side of the equation.

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When terms are moved from one side of an equation, they are said to be transposed (or transferred). This process
is called transposition.

In particular, when solving an equation that involves only one variable follow these steps:
1. Place all the terms involving the variable on the left-hand side of the equation and the constant terms on the
right-hand side.
2. Collect the like variable terms and collect the constant terms.
3. Divide both sides of the equation by the coefficient of the variable.

The left-hand side of the equation should now consist of the variable only.
The right-hand side of the equation should consist of a constant only and is the solution.

Example:
Solve the following equation for x: 9x – 27 = 4x + 3

Solution:
We need to transpose the 4x term to the left-hand side. To do this we subtract 4x on both sides of the equation.
This yields:
9x – 27 – 4x = 4x + 3 – 4x

Collecting the like terms on both sides of the equation gives:

5x – 27 = 3
Now we transpose the –27 term from both sides of the equation. To do this, we add 27 on both sides of the
equation.
This gives: 5x – 27 + 27 = 3 + 27

Collecting like terms on both sides of the equation gives:

5x = 30

We now divide both sides by 5 (the coefficient of x). This gives:

5𝑥 30
5
= 5

This yields the solution: x = 6.

This means that if we substitute x = 6 into the original equation, equality would prevail.
Check by substituting x = 6 into the original equation:
9(6) – 27 = 4(6) + 3

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54 – 27 = 24 + 3
27 = 27

Hence, the solution x = 6 is correct.

Example:
Solve the following equation for m: 12 – 4m = 6m + 37

Solution:
We transpose the 6m term to the left-hand side and the constant 12 to the right-hand side. This is done by
subtracting 6m on both sides of the equation and subtracting 12 from both sides of the equation.

This yields: 12 – 4m – 12 – 6m = 6m + 37 – 6m – 12
Collecting the like terms on both sides give: -10m = 25
Dividing both sides by –10 (the coefficient of m) gives:
−10𝑚 25
−10
= −10

m = -2.5 which is the solution.

Check the validity of the solution by substituting m = -2.5 into the original equation.
It yields: 22 = 22 (Confirm this as an exercise).
Hence the solution is correct.

Example:
Solve the following equation for x: 5(3x – 4) = 2(6 – 2x)

Solution:
First, we remove the parentheses on both sides of the equation.
This gives:
15x – 20 = 12 – 4x

Transpose the – 4x term to the left-hand side and the -20 constant to the right-hand side: 19x = 32
Finally, divide both sides by 19 (the coefficient of x). This gives:
19𝑥 32
19
= 19
32
X = 19
32
Check that the solution is indeed correct by substituting X = into the original equation.
19

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100 100
This yields 19
= 19

Hence, the solution is correct.

Example:
3𝑧
Solve the following equation for z: 3(2z+5) = +36
4

Solution:
First, remove the parentheses on the left-hand side of the equation.
This gives:
3𝑧
6z + 15 = 4
+36

Multiply both sides of the equation by 4 (this is done to remove the denominator on the right-hand side of the
equation).

This gives: 24z + 60 = 3z + 144

Now, transpose the 3z to the left-hand side and the 60 to the right-hand side of the equation.

This yields: 24z – 3z = 144 – 60

Collecting the like terms on both sides give: 21z = 84
Dividing both sides by 21 gives:
21𝑧 84
21
= 21

Z=4
Substituting z = 4 into the original equation yields 39 = 39 (verify this).

Hence, the solution is correct.

Think Point 3
1. Think about how the solution would change if you were to firstly multiply the whole equation
by 4 to remove the fraction.
.
Activity Question 2
1.Solve for x:
25.25 + 5x = 3x/4 + 50.75

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Reading: Recent Mathematical Breakthrough

The sum of 3 cubes for 42 has finally been solved in 2019. A team led by the University of
Bristol and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has used a real-life planetary
computer to solve the 65-year-old Mathematics puzzle. After millions of hours of
calculating, the team has finally found the solution of the famous Diophantine Equation x3
+ y3 + z3= k where k is 42. The solution was determined as X = -80538738812075974, Y
= 80435758145817515 and Z = 12602123297335631 (University of Bristol, 2019).

Case Study 1:
“1. Errors in manipulating operation: Students made errors in solving problems involving
linear expressions especially when it involved the numerator of a fraction and equations
involving square or square root. For example, three participants were unable to identify
which terms should be simplified first. Ideally, those students should factorise the numerator
first in a linear expression. Students also have the problem of deciding the type of operation
that needed to be changed when they brought the term to the other side of the equation.
For example, multiplication becomes plus and addition, or subtraction becomes divide. In
other words, they were still confused about the changes in the sign when using the
changing the operation method.

2. Errors in factorising linear expression: Three participants thought that when mv – mu is

factorised it would become m² (vu) or m² (v – u). This is because they thought that there are
two different m in the linear expression.

3. Errors in the use of cancellation: A number of participants experienced difficulty in solving

questions, showing that they were unable to deal with equations involving the square root.
They tend to ignore the square root or unintentionally forget about it. Furthermore, some
participants who attempted this question made errors in the cancellation method. The
participants made errors as early as when they were manipulating the operation”. (Yahya &
Shahrill, 2015)

Questions:
1. What are some of the difficulties that you face when solving linear equations?
2. Solve the following equation involving a square root: √𝑥 4 = 4

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3.4 Solving simultaneous linear equations

The problems in the previous section involved finding the solution to a single equation that contained only one
variable. In this section, we consider the situation in which we have to find the values of two variables, using two
equations. In this case, there will usually be unique values of the variables that will satisfy both equations. Such
equations are referred to as simultaneous equations.

Suppose, for example, that we have two simultaneous equations involving two variables.

The steps involved in the solution of these equations are as follows:

1. Make the coefficient of either of the variables in one equation equal to its coefficient in the other equation. It
does not matter which variable is used for this purpose. This must be achieved by multiplying one equation
(or possibly both equations) by a constant.
2. Eliminate the variable that now has the same coefficients in both equations. How you do this depends on the
signs (+, -) before the coefficients:
a) If the signs are the same, subtract one equation from the other. (It does not matter which equation
is subtracted).
b) If the signs are different, add the equations.
Write the equations under one another for this step, making sure that like terms are directly under each other.
3. After the subtraction or addition is made, you should be left with an equation with only one variable, namely
the variable that was not eliminated in Step 2. Solve this equation using the technique discussed in the
previous section of solving linear equations.
4. Find the value of the eliminated variable by substituting the value of the variable found in Step 3 into either
of the two equations.
5. Verify your solution by substituting the values of the two variables into each of the two original equations and
checking that they are true statements.

Example:
Solve the following simultaneous equations for x and y:
3x + 4y = 33 (1)
2x – 3y = 5 (2)

Solution:
Suppose that we first eliminate the variable x from both equations (Step 1). At the moment, x has a coefficient of
3 in the first equation and 2 in the second.

We have to make both coefficients the same. We can achieve this by multiplying equation (1) by 2 and equation
(2) by 3. This will make the coefficient of x to be 6 in the two resultant equations.

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That is:
6x + 8y = 66 (3)
6x – 9y = 15 (4)

Note that equations (3) and (4) are equivalent to equations (1) and (2), respectively. Now because the signs are
the same, subtract one equation from the other (Step 2).Suppose that we subtract equation (4) from equation (3):
6x + 8y = 66
6x - 9y = 15
17y = 51
We are left with an equation that involves only y, which we solve (Step 3):
17𝑦 51
17
= 17

y = 3

We have now obtained the solution for y. To obtain the solution for x (Step 4), we substitute the value y = 3 into,
say, Equation (1). This gives:
3x + 4(3) = 33
3x + 12 = 33
3x = 33 – 12
3x = 21

Dividing both sides by 3 (coefficient of x) yields:

21
x=
3

x= 7

Therefore, the solution to the simultaneous equations is x = 7 and y = 3.

Step 5 involves verification of the solution.

Substituting these values into Equations (1) and (2) yields:
3(7) + 4(3) = 33
2(7) – 3(3) = 5

You can verify both of these statements are true, so our solution is correct.
Note: You could have also done the problem by eliminating y first. Attempt this on your own as an exercise.
HINT: You multiply equation (1) by 3 and equation (2) by 4. This will yield coefficients of 12 and -12, respectively.
Thereafter, add the equations to obtain the value of x. Then obtain y by substitution of x into either equation.

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The above illustrated method of solving simultaneous equations is called the elimination method. Try solving the
example using the method of substitution. You can use the following video link to understand the method of
substitution better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSJ32Bq9sbQ (Method of Substitution Steps to Solve
Simultaneous Equations, 2017)

Video Activity 2
Watch the following video and answer the question that follows: Simultaneous Equations –
Tons of Equations [YouTube video]. (2016), added by The Organic Chemistry Tutor.
Available at https://youtu.be/clY_pbtBneA (Accessed: 24 July 2020).

1. The video illustrates an example that involves solving simultaneous equations that contain
fractions. Using the suggestions in the video, remove the fractions in the following equation
to simplify solving simultaneous equations:
1 2
𝑥 + 𝑦 = 21
2 3

3.5 Applications
There are many problems in which the value of some unknown quantity is to be found. In many cases, we can
represent the unknown quantity by some variable name and construct an equation involving that variable. We
can then solve the equation using the techniques discussed earlier. Where there are two unknown variables,
construct two simultaneous equations and find their values as discussed in previous section.

Example:
A customer left his car for service and received a combined bill (for parts and labour) of $ 228. If the labour cost
twice as much as the parts, determine how much the parts and labour each cost.

Solution:
Let the amount charged for parts (in dollars) = x.
Then the amount charged for labour (in dollars) = 2x.
Since:
Parts charge + Labour charge = $ 228
Then (leaving out the units):
x + 2x = 228
3x = 228
28
x= 3

= 76

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Therefore, cost of parts = x = $ 76.

Therefore, labour cost = 2x = 2(76) = $ 152.

Example:
A family consisting of 2 adults and a number of children went to the cinema. Each adult paid $ 9 and each child
paid $ 3.50 for the tickets. If the total bill was $ 39, how many children went?

Solution:
Let the number of children = x. Then:
Cost of 2 adults = 2 × $ 9 = $ 18
Cost of x children at $ 3.50 each = $ 3.5x
Total bill = $ 39
Therefore:
18 + 3.5x = 39
3.5x = 39 – 18
3.5x = 21
21
x = 3.5

x=6
Therefore, 6 children went to the cinema.

Example:
A bookstore purchased 200 copies of a book, some being the softcover version and some the hardcover version.
The softcovers sold for $ 47.50 each and the hardcovers for $ 65.00 each. When all the books were sold, the
total amount that the store received from the sale was $ 10 725. How many each of the softcover and hardcover
versions were sold?

Solution:
Let the number of hardcovers sold = x
Therefore, number of softcovers sold = 200 – x
Amount received for hardcovers = $ 65x
Amount received for softcovers = $ 47.5(200 – x)
Total amount received = $ 10 725

Therefore,
65x + 47.5(200 – x) = 10 725

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65x + 9500 – 47.5x = 10 725

17.5x = 10 725 – 9500
17.5x = 1225
1225
x= 17.5

x = 70
Therefore, the number of hardcover versions sold = 70 and the number of softcover versions sold = 200 – 70 =
130

Example:
Joanne is 3 years older than Amy. Three times Joanne’s age is 15 years more than twice Amy’s age. How old
are Joanne and Amy?

Solution:
Let Amy’s age = x.
Then:
Joanne’s age = x + 3
Three times Joanne’s age = 3(x + 3)
Twice Amy’s age = 2x

Therefore, 3(x + 3) = 2x + 15
3x + 9 = 2x + 15
3x – 2x = 15 – 9
x=6

Therefore, Amy is 6 years old and Joanne is 6 + 3 = 9 years old.

Example:
A customer buys 5 apples and 6 pears at a fruit stall and is charged $ 3.10. Another customer buys 2 apples and
5 pears and is charged $ 2.15. How much each is the apples and pears?

Solution:
In this case we have 2 unknowns (i.e. the prices of the apples and pears), so two variables are required.
Let A = price of 1 apple (in dollars)
Let P = price of 1 pear (in dollars)

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Then:
5A + 6P = 3.10 (1)
2A + 5P = 2.15 (2)

We now have 2 simultaneous equations in the variables A and P. Suppose we eliminate A from the equations.
To do this we first multiply equation (1) by 2 and equation (2) by 5:
10A + 12P = 6.20 (3)
10A + 25P = 10.75 (4)

If we subtract equation (4) from equation (3) we have: -13P = -4.55

Dividing both sides by -13 gives:
−13𝑃 −4.55
−13
= −13

P = 0.35
Substituting P = 0.35 in equation (1) gives:
5A + 6(0.35) = 3.10
5A + 2.10 = 3.10
5A = 3.10 – 2.10
5A = 1

Dividing both sides by 5 (the coefficient of A)

1
A= 5

= 0.20

Hence, the solutions to the equations is A = 0.20 and P = 0.35.

Therefore, each apple is 20 cents and each pear is 35 cents.

These values should now be verified by substituting them into both equations (1) and (2).

Substituting P = 0.35 and A = 0.20 into equation (1):

5(0.20) + 6(0.35) = 3.10
1.0 + 2.10 = 3.10
3.10 = 3.10

Substituting P = 0.35 and A = 0.20 into equation (2):

2(0.20) + 5(0.35) = 2.15

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0.40 + 1.75 = 2.15

2.15 =2.15

Both equations hold true and therefore our solution is correct.

Revision Questions
1. Simplify the following:
a) 9x – 5x + 8x – 6x
b) 13 – 3x + 23 – 5x + 4
c) (2x + 1)(3x – 4)
d) 2x(3 – x) – 7x(3x + 2) + 4(2x + 1)
6
e) (10𝑥 + 5𝑦)2
25

2. Solve for x:
a) 3x – 2 = 8 – 2x
b) 4(x – 1) = 6
c) 3x(5 – 2x) = -6x(x + 2) + 81
5𝑥+2 7(𝑥−1)
d) =
3 2

3. Solve for x and y

a) 5x – 2y = 1 and 3x + 2y = 7
b) 4x – 5y = 16 and 8x + 3y = 253

4. Three diaries and 4 pens cost a total of $11.70.

If each pen costs $1.20, how much does each diary cost (in dollars)?

5. Jennifer is 7 years younger than Melissa. In 4 years’ time Jennifer will be 1 year
older than half of Melissa’s age at that time. How old are Jennifer and Melissa
now?

6. A bucket and spade together cost $2.75. If the bucket costs 35 cents more than
the spade, how much would 3 buckets and 2 spades cost?

7. The sum of three consecutive numbers is 36. What are the numbers?

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Answers to Activities
Unit 3
Knowledge Check Question 1 (Section 3.1)
1. 534

Knowledge Check Question 2(Section 3.1)

1. 5

Knowledge Check Question 3 (Section 3.2)

1. Yes

Activity Question 1 (Section 3.2)

1. 40xy + 4x – 5y -5

Activity Question 1 (Section 3.3)

1. x = 6

Case Study 1 (Section 3.3)

1. Figuring out whether to group terms first and then move terms across the equal to side or vice versa.
2. x = 2

Video Activity 1 (Section 3.2)

4x2 – 12x + 9

Video Activity 2 (Section 3.4)

3x + 4y = 126

Think point 1(Section 3.1)

1.Simple interest formula and compound interest formula

Think point 2(Section 3.2)

1.Order matters with division. The expressions are not equal.

Think point 3(Section 3.3)

1.The final answer will not change.

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Unit
4: Ratios and Proportions

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Unit Learning Outcomes

CONTENT LIST LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THIS UNIT:

4.1 Definitions  Describe what a ratio is

 Calculate ratios in simple problems

4.2 Rates  Describe the concept of rates

 Calculate rates in simple problems

Prescribed Textbook:
 Wegner, T. (2013) Basic Mathematics: A Revision Primer for Management
Students. Second Edition. Juta. This is the latest edition of the textbook that
is available.

Video Links
 Ratio and Proportion Word Problems - Math [YouTube video]. (2019),
added by The Organic Chemistry Tutor. Available at
https://youtu.be/JOZSFwuyqok (Accessed: 24 July 2020).
 Rate problems [YouTube Video]. (2017), added by Khan Academy.
Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpjXtpg_isc (Accessed:
31 July 2020).

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4.1 Definitions
A ratio is a method of comparing two or more numbers or rates. A proportion represents the relative contribution
of a quantity to the whole. By definition, the value of a proportion should lie between 0 and 1 (both inclusive).

Ratios are often reduced to proportions. In particular, if two quantities X and Y occur in the ratio a: b, respectively,
𝑎 𝑏
it means that X occurs in the proportion 𝑎+𝑏 of the time and Y occurs in the proportion 𝑎+𝑏 of the time.

Similarly, suppose that the three quantities X, Y and Z occur in the ratio a : b : c, respectively.
This means that the proportion that:
𝑎
X occurs is 𝑎+𝑏+𝑐 of the time.
𝑏
Y occurs is 𝑎+𝑏+𝑐 of the time.
𝑐
Z occurs is 𝑎+𝑏+𝑐 of the time.

This notation is easily extended to as many quantities as desired.

Think Point 1
1.Where would ratios/proportions be applied in the field of business?

Knowledge Check Question 1

1. Is the following statement correct?
If the ratios of apples to oranges is 2:4, the proportion of oranges would be 2/3

Example:
On 30 June 2000 the population of Australia was 19.157 million. If this population is split into three age groups
(in years) of 0-14, 15-64 and 65 and over, the ratio in each group is approximately 72: 224: 41. Find the
percentage and number in each age group.
Solution: In this case, a = 72, b = 224 and c = 41.
𝑎
Proportion in age group 0 – 14 = 𝑎+𝑏+𝑐
72
= 27+224+41
72
= 337
72
Thus, % in age group 0 – 14 = 337  100

= 21.365 %
Number in age group 0 – 14 = 0.21365  19.157 million
= 4.093 million.

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𝑏
Proportion in age group 15 – 64 =
𝑎+𝑏+𝑐
224
=
72+224+41
224
=
337
224
Thus, % in age group 15 – 64 = 337
100

= 66.469 %
Number in age group 15 – 64 = 0.66469  19.157 million
= 12.733 million.
𝑐
Proportion in age group 65 + = 𝑎+𝑏+𝑐
41
= 72+224+41
41
= 337

41
Thus, % in age group 65 + = 337  100

= 12.166 %

Number in age group 65 + = 0.12166  19.157 million

= 2.331 million.

Note that the sum of the three percentages is 21.365 + 66.469 + 12.166 = 100 % as you would expect.

Think Point 2
1.Why do the percentages in the previous example add up to 100?

As is the case with fractions, a ratio is unaltered if both sides are multiplied or divided by the same amount. In
general, a ratio should be expressed in its simplest form. That is, both numbers in the ratio should be divided by
common factors. It is also usual for ratios to be expressed such that both sides are integers. If this is not the case,
it may be desirable to multiply both sides by the same number so that they become integers.

Knowledge Check Question 2

1. In order to obtain ratios with integers, what should the following ratio by multiplied
by?
0.5: 2

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Example:
Express in lowest terms:
a) 100 : 50
b) 4:6
c) 3.25 : 1

Solution:
a) The sides have a common factor of 50, so the ratio 100 : 50 is the same as the ratio 2 : 1.
b) The sides have a common factor of 2, so the ratio 4 : 6 is the same as the ratio 2 : 3.
c) In this case, 3.25 is not an integer so we can multiply it by 4. When both sides are multiplied by 4, the
equivalent ratio is 13 : 4.

Activity Question 1
1.Express the following ratio in its simplest form
7 1 5
: :
18 12 6

Video Activity 1
Watch the following video and answer the question that follows: Ratio and Proportion Word
Problems - Math [YouTube video]. (2019), added by The Organic Chemistry Tutor. Available
at https://youtu.be/JOZSFwuyqok (Accessed: 24 July 2020).

1. Using the method of solving ratio problems showcased in the video, determine the ratio
of cats to dogs on an island if, after 5 years, the island now has 420 cats and 600 dogs.
Represent in the simplest form.

Case Study 1:
“Financial ratios, i.e., ratios comparing the magnitudes of accounts in financial statements,
constitute a case of researchers' and professionals' interest in relative rather than absolute
account magnitudes. From the classical work on bankruptcy prediction by Altman (1968), the
use of financial ratios has spread along and across many research lines (Willer do Prado et
al., 2016), such as stock market returns (e.g.,Dimitropoulos, Asteriou, & Koumanakos, 2010),
firm survival analysis (e.g., Kalak & Hudson, 2016), credit scoring (e.g., Amat, Manini, & Antón
Renart, 2017), assessing the impact of International financial reporting standards (e.g., Lueg,
Punda, & Burkert, 2014), predicting donations to charitable organizations (e.g.,Trussel &

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Parsons, 2007), accounting restatements (e.g., Jiang, Habib, & Zhou, 2015), and earnings
manipulation (e.g., Campa, 2015).This article focuses on another frequent use of financial
ratios: to classify firms according to similarity of the structure of their financial statements,
searching for different profiles of financial structure, performance or distress… The interest
in clustering firms according to their financial ratios remains current…Despite the popularity
of financial ratios, the financial and statistical literature has long reported a number of serious
practical drawbacks of their use. The first of them has to do with the fact that most ratios are
distributed between zero and infinity and thus make fully symmetric distributions impossible
to achieve. Ratios also tend to have asymmetric distributions because decreases in the
denominator produce larger changes in the ratio value than increases do (Frecka & Hopwood,
1983). Both phenomena tend to produce distributions with positive skewness and preclude
using symmetric probability distributions such as the normal” (Linares-Mustaros, et al., 2017).

Questions:
1. Financial ratios are valuable indicators of business performance. A current ratio is given
as 1.25: 1. Rewrite the ratio to include whole numbers only.
2. Another financial ratio is the solvency ratio. Solvency ratios are calculated as total assets:
total liabilities. If the solvency ratio is given as 2:1, and the total assets amounted to
R500 000, determine the amount for total liabilities.

4.2 Rates
It is not unusual, especially when comparisons involving large numbers are made, for ratios to be used to express
the rate at which events take place. For example, we speak of the birth rate per 100 000 population and the
number of new cases of AIDS per 100 000 population. In some cases, the second number is sometimes a non-
integer. In other cases, the first number is the base figure and the second may be a non-integer. Hence, a rate is
really a ratio expressed with a specified base.

Think Point 3
1. How can the concept of rates be applied to the field of business?

Knowledge Check Question 3

1. If a car uses 6 litres to travel 100km, what is the petrol consumption rate (in
l/100km)?

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Example:
A sales representative notes that in a particular week he drove 1350 km and used 120 L of petrol. His sales
partner (in another vehicle) drove 940 km and used 88 L of petrol. Express their petrol usages as a rate in the
form kilometres: 100 L.

Solution:
In this case, the petrol usage has to be expressed as kilometres: 100 L.
The first driver has a ratio of 1350: 120. To convert this into an equivalent one with a second number of 100, we
divide both sides by 1.2. This yields a rate of:
1350 120
:
1.2 1.2

or
1125: 100.

That is, the travelling sales representative has a petrol usage rate of 1125 km for every 100 L of petrol used.

The second driver has a ratio of 940: 88. To convert this ratio we divide both sides by 0.88.
This yields a rate of:
940 88
:
0.88 0.88

or
1068.2: 100.

That is, the second driver had a petrol usage rate of 1068.2 km travelled for every 100 L of petrol used.

Activity Question 2
1. Mary can eat 10 strawberries in 15 minutes, whereas Lucy can eat 17
strawberries in 23 minutes. Who can eat the most strawberries in the shortest
amount of time?

Video Activity 2
Watch the following video and answer the question that follows: Rate problems [YouTube
Video]. (2017), added by Khan Academy. Available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpjXtpg_isc (Accessed: 31 July 2020).

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1. Using the method of solving rate problems showcased in the video, determine how many
pages Susan can read in 5 hours if she can read one page in 30 minutes.

Revision Questions

1. A certain supermarket sells milk in 1L and 600mL cartons. The ratio of 1L cartons of
milk sold to 600mL cartons sold is 17: 23.
(a) Find the percentage of each size carton sold.
(b) If the supermarket sold a total of 6600 cartons of milk, how many of each size
carton did it sell?

2. Express the following ratios in the simplest form:

(a) 16: 12
(b) 3: 18
(c) 8.5: 21.25
(d) 150.75: 201
(e) 8.125: 5

3. Distribute R6500 in the ratio 5: 2: 3

4. A roadside stall sells bags of firewood in two different size bags. The ratio of 10 kg
bags sold to 5 kg bags is 3: 5. If 20 of the 5 kg bags were sold, how many 10 kg bags
were sold?

5. A company executive notes that the company vehicle travelled 580 km during the
past week. If 102 L of petrol were used, express the petrol usage in the form kilometres:
100 L.

6. During a sale on men’s shorts, a store sold 568 pairs in 22 minutes.

Express the sales as:
(a) number of pairs sold per minute
(b) number of pairs sold per hour

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Answer to Activities
Unit 4
Knowledge Check Question 1 (Section 4.1)
1. Yes

Knowledge Check Question 2(Section 4.1)

1. 2

Knowledge Check Question 3 (Section 4.2)

1. 6l/100km

Activity Question 1(Section 4.2)

1. 14:3:30

Activity Question 2(Section 4.3)

1. Lucy

Case Study 1(Section 4.1)

1. 5:4
2. R250 000

Video activity 1(Section 4.1)

1. 7:10

Video activity 2(Section 4.2)

1. 10 pages

Think point 1 (Section 4.1)

1.Ratios can be applied in financial ratios (solvency, current ratios, etc.)

Think point 2 (Section 4.1)

1.A proportion is a part of a whole, therefore the sum of every part should add up to the whole (which is 100%).

Think point 3 (Section 4.2)

1.Rates can be applied in Interest rates, inflation rates, etc.

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Unit
5: Linear Graphs

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Unit Learning Outcomes

CONTENT LIST LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THIS UNIT:

5.1 Introduction  Introduce topic areas for the unit

5.2 Plotting points  Plot points on a set of axes

5.3 Plotting a straight line  Plot a straight line graph

5.4 Solving simultaneous equations with  Use a graph to solve simultaneous equations
the aid of a graph

5.5 Non-Linear graphs and turning  Use a graph to illustrate non-linear and involve equations that
points have powers of the x-variable other than 1

Prescribed Textbook:
 Wegner, T. (2013) Basic Mathematics: A Revision Primer for Management
Students. Second Edition. Juta. This is the latest edition of the textbook
that is available.

Video Links
 Graphing Linear Equations In Slope Intercept and Standard Form –
Algebra 1&2 Review [YouTube video]. (2016), added by The Organic
Chemistry Tutor. Available at https://youtu.be/nojSLJ9KYvQ (Accessed:
24 July 2020).
 Solving Simultaneous Equations Graphically [YouTube video]. (2016),
added by InteractMaths. Available at https://youtu.be/_EW9AUEUFb8
(Accessed: 24 July 2020).
 Graphs of Non-linear Functions [YouTube video]. (2012), added by
larryschmidt. Available at https://youtu.be/3BhDggermXA (Accessed: 24
July 2020).

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5.1 Introduction
One way of illustrating relationships that occur between variables is by means of a graph. For example, we may
wish to display the manner in which sales or profits have changed over a period of time, or how the number of
sales made relates to the price of the items. A graph will often do this very effectively. On other occasions we
may be presented with information that is already in graphical form and we need to interpret the graph. An
understanding of the basic ideas concerning graphs is invaluable to the interpretation of such displays.

Think Point 1
1.What types of graphs can be used to represent data?

5.2 Plotting points

In practice, we often have a pair of observations that are matched. Examples are sales and year, height and
weight, profit and sales, exports and imports, expenditure and income. These quantities are often represented
by variable names and as an ordered pair of observations. (That is, the quantities are always written in the same
order.) The first member of the ordered pair is usually referred to as the x coordinate and the second member as
the y coordinate.

The notation for an ordered pair of values is (x, y).

Knowledge Check Question 1

1. Write x = 2 and y = -4 in co-ordinate notation.

Example:
A sample of 5 male technical college students was chosen, and their heights (in cm) and weights (in kg) were
recorded as follows:
Height (cm) Weight (kg)
175 67
183 81
164 58
172 64
178 75
Represent these observations as 5 ordered pairs of the type (height, weight).
Solution: As ordered pairs, the observations are:
(175, 67) (183, 81) (164, 58) (172, 64) (178, 75)

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Ordered pairs of observations may be plotted onto a two-dimensional plane; each pair may be represented as a
unique point in the plane.

In this plane we draw two perpendicular lines (called coordinate axes), with one axis (called the x axis) horizontal
and the other (called the y axis) vertical. The point of intersection of these axes is called the origin.

Knowledge Check Question 2

1. What are the co-ordinates of a point at the origin of an x-y plane?

On each of the axes there is a scale. These scales should be selected in accordance with the data that is being
presented. Positive values of the x variable are represented in ascending order on the right of the origin, while
negative values go to the left. Positive values of the y variable are represented proceeding upwards from the
origin, while negative values proceed downwards.

The coordinate axis system (sometimes called the x-y plane if the two variables are x and y) is illustrated in
FIGURE 1.
y
y
6
5
4
3
2
1 x
0
-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6

Figure 1: x-y plane

Note that:
 the two axes are clearly labelled with its scale and variables names.

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 the divisions on each axis should be evenly spaced.

 If both variables to be represented are positive, it is common and usually desirable to draw only the
upper right-hand section of the system as in FIGURE 2.

y
6

0 x
0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Figure 2: x-y plane showing only positive x and y axes

Each ordered pair of observations of the type (x, y) corresponds to a point in the x-y plane. In particular, the
ordered pair (0, 0) is that point where the axes intersect (the origin).

Example:
Describe and plot the points in the x-y plane that correspond to the following ordered pairs. That is, the points
that have the following coordinates:
(a) (2, 3) (b) (-3, 5) (c) (4, -1) (d) (-2, -5)

Solution (shown in FIGURE 3):

a) The point corresponding to (2, 3) may be found by moving 2 units to the right of the origin and 3 units
upwards.
b) The point corresponding to (-3, 5) may be found by moving 3 units to the left of the origin and 5 units
upwards.
c) The point (4, -1) may be found by moving 4 units to the right of the origin and 1 unit downwards.
d) The point corresponding to (-2, -5) may be found by moving 2 units to the left of the origin and 5 units
downwards.

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y
6
∙(b) 5
b
4

3 ∙ (a)
2

0
-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 x
-1 ∙ (c)
-2

-3

-4
∙(d) -5

-6

Figure 3: Solution to point plotting example

Activity Question 1
1.Plot the following pairs of points
(1,2), (-5, -1), (4, -3), (-2,1)

5.3 Plotting a straight line

Earlier, it was stated that a linear equation is one in which the largest exponent in the equation is 1. A linear
equation is also one that may be written in one of the following forms:
y = bx + a or y = a + bx

where a and b are constants. The constant b is called the slope or gradient of the line, because it represents the
rate at which y changes with x. The constant a represents the y-intercept, that is the value of y where the line
crosses the y-axis. (If a = 0, the line crosses the y-axis at the point where y = 0; that is, it passes through the
origin). It is called a linear equation because, when all the ordered pairs that satisfy such an equation are plotted
on an x-y plane, they form a straight line.

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Knowledge Check Question 3

1. What is the slope and y-intercept of the equation y=3x - 5

To draw a line, we plot a minimum of two points that satisfy the equation and draw the straight line that passes
through them. The points on that line will then represent all points whose coordinates satisfy the equation of the
line. Once the graph is drawn, it is appropriate to write the equation on the line itself. This is particularly important
if there is more than one line drawn on one diagram. However, while in theory plotting only two points will suffice,
it is strongly recommended that three (at least) be used. If all three points have been plotted correctly, they should
lie in a straight line. If not, an error has been made and the three points should be checked and the line re-plotted.

It does not matter which points on the line are plotted as long as they satisfy the equation. One technique is to
select several values of x and find the corresponding values of y by substituting those x-values into the equation.
It is advisable not choose x values that are too close together, because drawing the line would be difficult.

Think Point 2
1.Why are more data points preferred when drawing a line graph (rather than using just two
points to draw a line)?

Example:
Plot on a graph the equation of the line: y = 2x + 3

Solution:
Suppose we arbitrarily select four values of x and find the corresponding values of y by substituting into the
equation. (It is usually convenient to select 0 as one of the x-values).
If x = 0, y = 2(0) + 3 = 3

If x = 2, y = 2(2) + 3 = 7

If x = -2, y = 2(-2) + 3 = -1

If x = -4, y = 2(-4) + 3 = -5

We therefore plot the points:

(0, 3) (2, 7) (-2, -1) (-4, -5)

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and expect that they will all lie in a straight line.

This is illustrated in the FIGURE 4:

y
6
5
4
3
2
1
0 x
-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6
Figure 4: Graph of y = 2x + 3

Activity Question 2
1.Plot the graph: y = 3x + 1

Example:
Write the equation: 2x + 5y = 10 in the form y = a + bx and draw it on a graph.

Solution:
First, put the terms in x on the right-hand of the equation: 5y = 10 – 2x
Then divide both sides by 5 in order to make the coefficient of y to be 1: y = 2 – 0.4x
(This line has a slope of -0.4 and a y-intercept of 2.)

Suppose we select x-values of -2, 0 and 3 and substitute them into this equation.

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If x = -2, y = 2 – (0.4)(- 2) = 2.8

If x = 0, y = 2 – (0.4)(0) = 2
If x = 3, y = 2 –(0.4)(3) = 0.8

We therefore plot the points: (-2, 2.8) (0, 2) (3, 0.8)

This is done in the FIGURE 5.

y
6

0 x
-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1

-2

-3

-4

-5

-6

Figure 5: Graph of 2x + 5y = 10

Video Activity 1
Watch the following video and answer the question that follows: Graphing Linear Equations
In Slope Intercept and Standard Form – Algebra 1&2 Review [YouTube video]. (2016),
added by The Organic Chemistry Tutor. Available at https://youtu.be/nojSLJ9KYvQ
(Accessed: 24 July 2020).

1. The video showcases how to draw the graph of “y=3/4x – 5”. What is the slope of the
graph and what does a positive slope mean?

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Case Study 1
“The essential structure of a simple line graph starts with two drawn axes, a vertical and
horizontal. Of the 4313 graphs meeting criteria, 98 % (4206) and 97 % (4200) of graphs
contained a drawn line on the vertical and horizontal axis, respectively. Two additional
essential structure criteria require the labelling of the two axes with a quantitative value on
the vertical axis and time along the horizontal axis. Two dot charts (Cleveland 1984b), in
Figure 2 and 3, show the breakdown that authors used for labelling axes. On both figures,
dots represent categorical instances and appear from greatest to least. Figure 2 shows that,
of the eight vertical label categories, five contained 98 % of instances. Authors used a
percent label 27 % (1159) of the time on the vertical axes, more often than any other
classification. Count (20 % or 865), ratio (18 % or 782), no label (17 % or 753), and
frequency/rate (16 % or 677) groupings round out the initial 98 %. The remaining 2 %
consist of latency (40), duration (36), and inter response time (1). On Fig. 3, labels for the
horizontal axes revealed less diffusion as compared to the vertical axis breakdown. No label
(1486) and sessions/trials (1469) accounted for 69 %. A total of 459 (11 %) graphs
incorporated seconds, 268 (6 %) days, and 262 (6%) minutes along the horizontal axis. The
final 9 % include other unit of time (172), multiple units on the same axis (160), and hours
(37).” (Kubina, et al., 2015)

Questions:
1. Where can line graphs be practically applied?
2. What is the importance of labelling graph axes correctly?

5.4 Solving simultaneous equations with the aid of a graph

Simultaneous equations may be solved by plotting each equation on the same diagram, then finding the point of
intersection. The x-coordinate and y-coordinate represent the solution to the equations.

However, when the two lines plotted have the same slope, they are parallel and thus never intersect. In this case,
the simultaneous equations have no solution. That is, there are no values of x and y that satisfy both equations.

Example:
Consider the two simultaneous equations (considered earlier in the module):
3x + 4y = 33 (1)
2x – 3y = 5 (2)
Solve these equations with the aid of a graph.

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Solution:
Draw the straight lines representing these graphs on the same set of axes.
First, consider equation (1). Putting it in the form y = a + bx yields:
y = (33) / 4 - (3x) / 4
Suppose we plot the points where x = -3, 0 and 5.
If x = -3, y = 10.5
If x = 0, y = 8.25
If x = 5, y = 4.5

Therefore, the points to be plotted are: (-3, 10.5) (0, 8.25) (5, 4.5)
The line passing through these three points is plotted in the FIGURE 6.

Following a similar procedure for equation (2), we get the points:

(-5, -5) (0, -1.67) (4, 1)
The line passing through these points are plotted on the same figure as the line corresponding to equation (1).

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12

10

0 x
-8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
-2

-4

-6

-8

-10

-12

Figure 6: Graph of 3x + 4y = 33 and 2x – 3y = 5

The point of intersection of these two lines as shown above is (7, 3) which was the solution of these simultaneous
equations from the example in section 3.4.

Hence the solution x = 7 and y = 3 is correct.

Use the method of solving simultaneous equations using graphs to solve the example in section 3.5:

A customer buys 5 apples and 6 pears at a fruit stall and is charged $ 3.10. Another customer buys 2 apples and
5 pears and is charged $ 2.15. How much each is the apples and pears?

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Video Activity 2

Watch the following video and answer the question that follows: Solving Simultaneous
Equations Graphically [YouTube video]. (2016), added by InteractMaths. Available at
https://youtu.be/_EW9AUEUFb8 (Accessed: 24 July 2020).

1. The video showcases how to solve the equations “x+y =1” and “y-x = 3” simultaneously.
What is the y-intercept (c) and slope (m) of both these graphs?

5.5 Non-Linear graphs and turning points

On some occasions we may be interested in graphs that are not a straight line. Such graphs are called Non-
Linear and involve equations that have powers of the x-variable other that 1.

Example:
Some examples of non-linear equations are:
(a) y=x2 (b) y= 2x2 - 4x +6
(c) y= 6 – x3 (d) y= √𝑥
To plot non-linear graphs, we could simply plot as many points as necessary until we obtain the general shape
of the curve.

Example:
Draw the graph that represents the equation: y= 8 +2x – x2

Solution:
We will restrict ourselves to the positive values of x. Suppose we plot values of x from 0 to 4 at intervals of 0.50.
The corresponding values of y are shown below:

x-value 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

y-value 8 8.75 9 8.75 8 6.75 5 2.75 0

Now use the x and y values to plot curve on the set of axes below.
Note: The points will be connected using a smooth curve since the graph is non-linear.

Think Point 3
1.How are non-linear graphs applied in the business field?

Plotting the points produces FIGURE 7.

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y
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0 X
-4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4

Figure 7: Graph of y= 8 +2x – x2

The turning point is (1, 9).

Revision Questions

1. Plot on a graph the equation of the line: 2x – 3y = 24.

2. Plot on a graph the equation of the line: -1.5x + 2.5y = 15.

3. Solve the following simultaneous equations with the aid of a graph:

2x + 3y = 18 and 6x – 5y = 14

4. Solve the following equations simultaneously using a graph:

5x + 3y = 13 and y -x = 7

5. Plot a graph of the equation: y = x2 – x, and make a note of where the

graph crosses the x axis.

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Answers to Revision Questions

Unit 1
Revision Questions
1
1. a) 5
69
b) 80

c) 0.546
1
d) 2

4
2. a)
3
1
b) 4

c) 93
d) 84

3. a) 0.44
b) 0.45

49
4. a) 100
493
b) 500

5. R5000

6. R18942.14

7. R766.54

8. R3962.24

9. R15071.42

10. Mean = 47.47, Median = 25.43

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Unit 2
Revision Questions
1. a) 25%
b) 12.5%
c) 41.67%
d) 5.6%
e) 43%
f) 91.6%

2. a) 0.595
b) 0.125
c) 2.9

9
3. a) 40
667
b) 1000
7
b) 8

4. Student A

5. White: 11.2%. Indian: 8.6%. Coloured: 2.4%. Black: 77.8%

6. Males: 70. Females: 130

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Unit 3
Revision Questions
1. a) 6x
b) 40 - 8x
c) 6x2 - 5x - 4
d) 4 - 23x2
e) 24x2 + 24xy + 6y2

2. a) x = 2
b) x = 2.5
c) x = 3
25
d) 11

3. a) x = 1 and y = 2
101
b) 𝑥 = 4
and y= 17

4. $2.3

5. Melissa is 12 years old and Jennifer is 5 years old

6. $7.05

7. 11, 12 and 13

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Unit 4
Revision Questions
1. a) 42.5% 1litre and 57.5% 600ml
b) 2805 1litre and 3795 600ml

2. a) 4:3
b) 1:6
c) 2:5
d) 3:4
e) 13:8

3. 3250: 1300: 1950

4. 12

5. 568.63km/100l

6. a) 25
b) 1549

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Unit 5
Revision Questions

1.

2.

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3.

X = 33/7 and y =20/7

4.
X = -1 and y = 6

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5.

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