Algebra for the Utterly Confused

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Algebra for the Utterly Confused
Larry J. Stephens

McGraw-Hill
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Contents v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

A Special Message to the Utterly Confused Algebra Student How to Study Algebra Preface
CHAPTER 1 Basic Algebra Concepts Review CHAPTER 2 Properties of Numbers CHAPTER 3 Functions CHAPTER 4 Linear Functions and Linear Equations CHAPTER 5 Linear Inequalities v v v

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CHAPTER 6 Absolute Values CHAPTER 7 Systems of Linear Equations CHAPTER 8 Polynomials CHAPTER 9 Quadratic Functions and Equations

Contents

69 81 99 115

CHAPTER 10 Roots, Radicals, and Complex Numbers 129 CHAPTER 11 Rational Expressions CHAPTER 12 Exponential and Logarithmic

141 153 167 183 195 217

Functions
CHAPTER 13 Equations of Second Degree

and Their Graphs
CHAPTER 14 Sequences and Series CHAPTER 15 Combinatorics, Binomial Series,

and Probability Index

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A Special Message to the Utterly Confused Algebra Student v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

hat qualifications are needed to write a book that will help the utterly confused algebra student? I believe that I can answer that question. Certainly having a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics, an M.A. in Mathematics, and a Ph.D. in Statistics, as I do, helps. Having taught mathematics and statistics for over 30 years, as I have, also helps. However, having been confused about algebra a long time ago myself helps tremendously in writing such a book. Prior to my senior year in high school, I was utterly confused about algebra. In fact my grades in first-year algebra, taken in my freshman year were all C or below. I successfully avoided math courses in my sophomore and junior years. However, in my senior year I made all As in second-year algebra, plane geometry, and in a course called solid geometry. Sometime before my senior year, the Russians put a small satellite called Sputnik in orbit. This event started the space race between Russia and the United States. Space explorations changed my attitude toward mathematics and science. A desire to learn algebra and a willingness to spend the time necessary to fully comprehend the concepts are extremely important in overcoming your confusion about algebra. I do not pretend to be able to give everyone a Sputnik experience. Unfortunately, there is v v v

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A Special Message to the Utterly Confused Algebra Student

no substitute for the hours needed to practice the many and varied concepts that make up algebra. I have worked for NASA, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, 3M, and taught at the college level for over 30 years. Although the mathematics I used in my jobs was often beyond that found in algebra, it was the foundation in algebra that supported the advanced mathematical techniques that were used. Algebra is the foundation of all the math courses that follow as well as many of the courses in science, business, and other areas of study. A good understanding of algebra is extremely important to your future success in college and to your career. Algebra for the Utterly Confused explains the concepts of algebra by the use of practical examples whenever possible. The power of the computer has also been used in trying to increase your understanding of algebra. Output from powerful software packages such as MAPLE, Minitab, and Excel are integrated throughout the book to help you understand the concepts of algebra. A set of icons are used throughout each chapter to help guide students in their study of the book. The icons are described on the following two pages. My goal in Algebra for the Utterly Confused is to clarify topics in algebra that have traditionally confused students.

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Icons v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Don’t Forget
This icon highlights things you should memorize. Right before a test, go over these items to keep them fresh in your mind.

Quick Tip
This icon appears next to the “deeper” insights into a problem. If you have trouble understanding the details of why a problem makes physical sense, then this is the icon to follow.

Danger!
This icon highlights trouble spots and common traps that students encounter. If you are worried about making frustrating little mistakes or think you are losing points on tests because of missing little “tricks” then this is the icon to follow. v v v

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Icons

Pattern
The intention of this icon is to help identify a pattern of solving one problem that works for a general category of problems. In many cases the pattern is reviewed in a step-by-step summary along with examples of similar problems.

Short Cuts
Items next to this icon can be skipped if you are really struggling. On a second pass through the book, or for the more advanced student, this icon is intended to show a few extra tricks that will allow you to do problems faster. These items are included because speed is often important to success on algebra tests.

Test Yourself
This icon indicates a set of problems that allow you to test yourself to see if you understand the material presented in the chapter. Test Yourself

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How to Study Algebra v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

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eing successful in your effort to learn algebra is no different than learning to play the piano, being successful at playing golf, or many of the other human endeavors that you attempt. You must be willing to practice the techniques that are presented to you. Remember: 1. Algebra is not learned by osmosis. You will not automatically absorb algebra by simply attending class. You must work a lot of problems to fully understand the concepts. 2. Algebra is not a spectator sport. You must be an active participant in the learning process.

The topics and concepts in algebra are sequentially dependent. This means that the topic you are studying today is dependent on topics you learned yesterday, and the topics you study tomorrow will depend on the ones you learn today. For example, the distributive law states that for any numbers a, b, and c, that a(b + c) = ab + ac. The distributive law is usually learned early in algebra. But it is applied again and again in topics such as factoring and simplifying algebraic expressions. There are at least two aspects always present in algebra. These are the mechanical and the conceptual aspects. These two aspects v v v

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How to Study Algebra

are not mutually exclusive. That is, both may be present. When finding the roots of a quadratic equation, a sequence of mechanical steps is applied to determine the roots. However, a story problem may lead to a quadratic equation that must be solved in order to obtain the solution to the problem. A conceptual understanding of the story problem is needed in order to set up the problem. Students usually have more difficulty with story problems than with the mechanical steps used to solve a problem. To be successful at both mechanical and conceptual problems, work as many problems as possible of both types.

General Guidelines for Effective Algebra Study
1. Starting on the very first day of classes, systematically work problems of all types until you are confident that you understand all concepts. 2. Be sure to read the discussion given in the text of the sections covered on a given day. Work your way through all examples in the text. Have a pencil and paper close by and fill in any missing details in the examples. If there are parts of the examples that you do not understand, ask your instructor to help you fill in the details. 3. Do not get behind in the class. Once you get behind in the class, the snowball effect follows. The new concepts that you encounter usually depend on your understanding of the ones you are behind on. 4. Take advantage of any sources of help such as tutoring labs, your instructor’s office hours, and any extra credit possibilities. I recently taught algebra and offered extra credit for some computer algebra assignments to be done using the computer package MAPLE. I was surprised at the large number of students who did not take advantage of the extra credit opportunities. 5. If you like to work with others, try to select some good students to work with from time to time.

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6. If you are struggling with your algebra course, consider some supplemental materials such as Algebra for the Utterly Confused.

Preparing for Tests
1. Your best test preparation is to keep up in the course daily. If you do this, you will not need to stay up late the night before the test. 2. Get a good night’s sleep the night before the test. You are much more likely to be able to think clearly and make good decisions if you are rested when you take the test. Never stay up all night studying the night before an algebra test. 3. I have always found it useful to take a simulated test before taking the real test. Go through the sections that the test covers and select some problems similar to those the test covers that you have not worked before. Choose ones that have answers. If there are not enough in your text, choose some from another algebra book from the library. After selecting these problems, form a simulated test and then work this test just as you would the real one you will take tomorrow.

Test-Taking Strategies
1. If you are having difficulty with a given problem, leave it and go to another one that is easier. Save the harder problems until you have worked all the easy ones. 2. If you finish the test early, be sure to check over your work. I am surprised at the number of students in my algebra courses who still rush through the test and turn it in early without checking it over. 3. Do not hesitate to ask for clarification on any problems that are not clear to you. 4. If you are allowed to use a calculator on the test, be sure to use it to your maximum advantage. Sometimes by substituting some simple numbers in an expression you may be able to determine the reasonableness of a solution.

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Preface v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

lgebra is among the most difficult courses for many high school and college students to master. The sequential steps involved in solving algebra problems require repetition for their mastery. Many students do not perform the repetitions needed to master the concepts in algebra. Another factor that makes algebra difficult is the abstract nature of the course. Students fail to see the relevance of algebra to the real world. Even the algebra books that have attempted to incorporate more real-world problems have not always succeeded in capturing the student’s interest in algebra. I believe students can be motivated to study algebra if they can see the relevance of algebra. Algebra for the Utterly Confused is not intended to be a textbook in algebra. There are numerous textbooks in algebra and many of them are very well written. Algebra for the Utterly Confused is intended to be used as a supplement to algebra courses in high school as well as in college. I have covered many, but not all, topics found in such courses. All algebra textbooks have many examples and numerous problems. I have included a section at the end of each chapter entitled Test Yourself. This section contains problems similar to the concepts discussed in the chapter and will allow you to determine whether you understand the material. The examples I v v v

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Preface

have included are intended to be current and relevant to the real world. It is not possible to relate every algebra topic to the real world. For example, it is difficult to connect the imaginary unit or complex numbers to applications in the real world. However, I do mention that they are useful in advanced areas such as electrical engineering. Another aspect of the book not found in algebra textbooks is the inclusion of computer software that is relevant to algebra. In a 1999 article by Dr. John Konvalina and me in the International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology entitled “The Use of Computer Algebra Software in Teaching Intermediate and College Algebra” (Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 483–488), we discuss the effect of using computer algebra software in the teaching of algebra. We found that the use of such software increased the mean performance on a common final exam when a class using the software was compared to a class not using it. In addition, the students had very positive attitudes toward the incorporation of the software in the course, and the authors of the article received their best student evaluations ever when teaching algebra courses. I have chosen to include output from three different software programs. MAPLE (Waterloo Maple Inc., 57 Erb Street West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 6C2) is a computer algebra software package and it was used in the study mentioned in the preceding paragraph. MINITAB (Minitab Inc., 3081 Enterprise Drive, State College, PA. 16801-3008) is a software package having statistical as well as excellent graphing and spreadsheet capabilities. MINITAB is a trademark of Minitab Inc. and is used herein with the owner’s permission. Excel spreadsheet is widely available as a segment of Microsoft Office that many people have as part of their personal computing software. I wish to thank Waterloo Maple Inc., Minitab Inc., and Microsoft Corporation for permission to include output from their software. The inclusion of this software output helps enrich the study of algebra as well as indicate its relevancy to the real world. The algebra topics have been “spiced up” by the use of computer clip art throughout the book. I wish to thank IMSI (75 Rowland

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Way, Novato, CA 94945) for permission to include clip art images from Master Clips in the book. Throughout the book, topics and concepts are discussed in the setting of some real-world examples. Usually a scenario is described along with a problem related to that scenario. As the problem and its solution are discussed, algebra terms and concepts are defined, discussed, and described. The purchaser of this book is encouraged to use it along with whatever algebra textbook you may be using in your current algebra course. When a difficult section is encountered, turn to Algebra for the Utterly Confused to get you over whatever difficulty you have encountered. Or if you are not currently in an algebra course, but are using some algebra-related concepts in your job and need a refresher for algebra, turn to Algebra for the Utterly Confused to review algebra for you. In addition to thanking Minitab Inc., Waterloo Maple Inc., Microsoft Corporation, and IMSI, I would like to thank the editor, Barbara Gilson, and the staff at McGraw-Hill for their help. I would also like to thank my good friend of over 25 years, Dr. John Konvalina, Mathematics Department, University of Nebraska at Omaha for our many discussions concerning mathematics. We have also been joint authors on many mathematics education research publications. Finally, I would like to thank my wife Lana for her support and many helpful suggestions concerning the book. —Dr. Larry J. Stephens Omaha, Nebraska

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CHAPTER 1 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Basic Algebra Concepts Review v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

➜ What is the real number system? ➜ How do I add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions? ➜ How do I add, subtract, multiply, and divide signed numbers? ➜ What is scientific and exponential notation? ➜ What is a prime factorization? ➜ What are algebraic variables? ➜ How do I perform operations on algebraic expressions? ➜ How do I factor algebraic expressions? ➜ How do I solve equations? ➜ What is computer algebra software? ➜ What is MAPLE? v v v

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Real Numbers System
Example 1-1: Table 1-1 gives a portion of the stock market page for a Wednesday and a Thursday similar to that found in the Money section of USA Today. The table gives the highest and lowest price per share during the past year, the name of the stock, close (the price per share at the end of the day), and the change from the day before. Several different types of numbers appear in the table. Positive and negative whole numbers and positive and negative fractions are illustrated in the table.

Table 1-1

Stock Market Information
WEDNESDAY

52-WEEK HIGH

52-WEEK LOW

STOCK

CLOSE

CHANGE

961⁄8 775⁄16 105 1991⁄4 1347⁄8

483⁄8 579⁄16 69 957⁄8 841⁄8

AT&T Exxon GE IBM Pfizer
THURSDAY

849⁄16 6755⁄64 101 1733⁄4 1321⁄2

−13⁄8 +7⁄64 −2 −33⁄16 −13⁄8

52-WEEK HIGH

52-WEEK LOW

STOCK

CLOSE

CHANGE

961⁄8 775⁄16 105 1991⁄4 1347⁄8

483⁄8 579⁄16 69 957⁄8 841⁄8

AT&T Exxon GE IBM Pfizer

841⁄2 6755⁄64 1003⁄8 1735⁄8 1307⁄8

−1⁄16 — −5⁄8 −1⁄8 −15⁄8

The real numbers are represented visually by the real number line. This representation is shown in Fig. 1-1. The line is shown as stretching from minus infinity to plus infinity. That is, from

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extremely small negative numbers to extremely large positive numbers. If the number is positive, it is measured to the right of zero. If the number is negative, it is measured to the left of zero. Every real number is represented by some point on this line. Conversely, each point on this line represents some real number.

Fig. 1-1

A few particular points are shown in the figure. The real numbers are either rational numbers or irrational numbers. The positive and negative whole numbers and fractions are rational numbers. There are other numbers that are not whole numbers or fractions. They are called irrational numbers. The number π (pi) is an irrational number. It is not equal to a fraction. In Fig. 1-1, π (pi) is shown between 3.1 and 3.2. Another irrational number is the number e, which is encountered in calculus. It is shown in Fig. 1-1 between 2.71 and 2.72. All the numbers in Table 1-1 are located somewhere on this real number line. Any fraction has a decimal equivalent. 1 is equivalent to 0.5. The decimal equivalent is 2 1 obtained by dividing the fraction. The decimal equivalent for is 3 1 0.333 . The decimal equivalent of is 0.142857142857 .A 7 rational number will have a decimal equivalent that either termi1 nates, such as = 0.5 and 3/4 = 0.75, or repeats itself such as 1/3 = 2 1 0.333 and = 0.142857 142857 . Irrational numbers neither 7 terminate nor repeat. Pi and e do not terminate and they do not have a repeating pattern. For example,

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Four Fundamental Operations Involving Fractions
The four fundamental operations performed on real numbers are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. When fractions and/or signed numbers are involved, special rules and techniques are developed in basic algebra to perform the four operations.

Example 1-2: Using the Wednesday and Thursday closing values given in Table 1-1, illustrate how to operate on fractions to obtain the change value given on Thursday for a share of AT&T. 1 The change for Thursday is equal to Thursday’s close, 84 , 2 9 minus Wednesday’s close, 84 . Subtracting the whole number 16 parts, we obtain 84 − 84 = 0. Subtracting the fractional parts we have 1 1 9 8 − . To perform the subtraction, express as and subtract 2 16 2 16 the numerators and put the result over the common denominator as follows.
1 8 9 − =− 16 16 16

Example 1-3: Suppose the IBM closing value in Table 1-1 was split into halves on Wednesday. Using the Wednesday closing value for IBM, what would each new share be worth? To find the new value of a share, we need to take half the per 3 share value, 173 . This is accomplished as follows. 4 1 3 1 695 Step 1: 173 = 2 4 2 4 1 695 695 Step 2: = 2 4 8 695 7 Step 3: = 86 8 8

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3 In step 1, the mixed number 173 is converted to the improper 4 695 fraction by multiplying 4 times 173 and adding 3 and putting 4 the result over 4. In step 2, the numerators are multiplied and the result is put over the product of the denominators. In step 3, the 695 7 improper fraction is converted to the mixed number 86 by 8 8 noting that 8 divides into 695 eighty-six times with remainder 7, 7 which is put over 8 to form the fraction . Each new share will be 8 7 worth $86 after the split occurs. 8

Example 1-4: Find the percent change for Pfizer on Thursday. The percent change for Pfizer on Thursday is the Thursday change divided by the Wednesday close and multiplied by 100 to give a percent. The steps are as follows. Step 1: −1 ÷ 132 = − Step 2: − Step 3: −
5 8 1 2 13 265 ÷ 8 2

13 2 26 =− 8 265 2120 26 2600 (100) = − = −1.23% 2120 2120

In step 1, the Thursday change and the Wednesday close for Pfizer are copied from Table 1-1 and changed from mixed form to improper fraction form. In step 2, we invert the second fraction and then multiply the resulting fractions. In step 3, we convert the fraction to a decimal and multiply by 100 to find the percent change. A share of Pfizer dropped 1.23% on Thursday.

Pattern
1. To add or subtract fractions, first obtain a common denominator and add or subtract the numerators and place the result over the common denominator as illustrated in Example 1-2.

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2. To multiply fractions, multiply the numerators and put the result over the product of the denominators. 3. To divide fractions, invert the second and then multiply.

Short Cuts
Often, arithmetic with fractions may be speeded up by converting the fractions to their decimal equivalents and then performing the operations. The next examples illustrate how to do this.

Example 1-5: Work Example 1-2 using decimal representation rather than fractional representation. 1 9 = 84.5 and Wednesday’s was 84 = 2 16 84.5625 and the difference is 84.5 − 84.5625 = −0.0625. The decimal 625 number −0.0625 is equal to the fraction − . If this fraction is 10,000 reduced by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by 1 625 the result is − . 16 Thursday’s close was 84

Example 1-6: Work Example 1-3 using decimal representation rather than fractional representation. 3 = 173.75. When the shares split, the 4 173.75 new cost per share will be = 86.875. The decimal number 2 875 875 86.875 is equal to 86 plus the fraction . If is reduced by 1000 1000 7 dividing numerator and denominator by 125, the result is . Thus 8 7 the cost per share after splitting is 86 . 8 The cost per share is 173

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Example 1-7: Work Example 1-4 using decimal representation rather than fractional representation. The percent change for Pfizer on Thursday is the change given on Thursday divided by the Wednesday close and multiplied by 100 to 5 give a percent. The change Thursday was −1 = −1.625 and the 8 1 Wednesday close was 132 = 132.5. The percent change is given by 2 (−1.625/132.5) × 100 = −1.23%.

Four Fundamental Operations Involving Signed Numbers
The changes in stock prices in Table 1-1 are positive for stocks that increased in value and negative for stocks that decreased in value. The sign of the change indicates whether the stock price rose or fell. In order to trace the behavior of a stock, an understanding of operations involving signed numbers is necessary.

+3, +1, −4, and −1. What was the change for the week? The change for the week was −2 +3 +1 −4 −1 = −3. For the week, the stock was down 3 points.

Example 1-8: Suppose the daily changes for IBM stock were −2,

Example 1-9: Suppose IBM stock were down 2 points each day for the week. How many points is IBM down for the week?
−2 −2 −2 −2 −2 = 5(−2) = −10

The IBM stock is down 10 points for the week. Note that a positive 5 times a negative 2 gives a negative 10.

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Example 1-10: Using the results of Example 1-9, we see that −10 ÷ −2 = 5. This is obtained from the result 5(−2) = −10 by dividing both sides by −2. This is illustrated as follows.
−10 5(−2) = =5 −2 (−2)

In general, dividing a negative number by a negative number gives a positive result. An important property of signed numbers is their absolute value. The absolute value of a number is the numerical value of the number exclusive of its sign. The absolute value of +5 is 5 and the absolute value of −2.5 is 2.5.

Pattern
1. The sum of two positive numbers is positive and the sum of two negative numbers is negative. For example, 5 + 7 = 12 and −5 + (−5) = −10. 2. The sum of a positive and a negative number is positive, if the larger number (in absolute value) is positive, and the sum is negative if the larger number (in absolute value) is negative. The sum of a positive and a negative number having the same absolute value is zero. For example, 3 + (−5) = −2, 9 + (−5) = 4, and 5 + (−5) = 0. 3. To subtract two signed numbers, change the sign of the second number and then add. For example, 8 − (−5) = 8 + 5 = 13, −5 − (−5) = −5 + 5 = 0, and 13 − (+7) = 13 + (−7) = 6. 4. The product of a positive number and a negative number is negative. The product of two positive numbers or the product of two negative numbers is positive. For example, 7(−5) = −35, (−5)(9) = −45, and (−5)(−35) = 175. 5. The quotient of a positive number and a negative number is negative and the quotient of two negative numbers or two positive numbers is positive. For example, −12/4 = −3, 16/(−8) = −2, and (−12)/(−2) = 6.

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Scientific and Exponential Notation
The salaries of professional sports figures have become so large in recent years that it is now reasonable to express them in scientific notation. Kevin Brown of the Los Angeles Dodgers recently signed a 7-year contract for $105 million. If this is expressed in digits, it is equal to $ 105,000,000. It takes nine digits to completely express this amount.

Example 1-11: Suppose we wish to express Kevin Brown’s contractual salary in scientific notation. First, we need to discuss powers of 10. Powers of 10 are illustrated in Table 1-2. Table 1-2 Powers of 10
MEANING VALUE

POWER OF TEN

101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109

10 10 × 10 10 × 10 × 10 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10

10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000 10,000,000 100,000,000 1,000,000,000

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To express Kevin Brown’s salary in scientific notation, we express $105 million as follows: 1.05 × 100,000,000 = 1.05 × 108. In scientific notation, a number is expressed as the product of a number between 1 and 10 (including 1 but not 10), or −1 and −10 and 10 to some power. Notice that for Brown’s salary, 1.05 is between 1 and 10 and the power of 10 is 8. In the power of 10, 108, 10 is called the base and 8 is called the exponent. Powers of 10 are a special case of exponential notation. If a is a real number and n is a natural number (1, 2, 3, ) then an means multiply a times itself n times. This is called exponential notation and a is referred to as the base and n as the exponent. Two important laws of exponents are as follows: am an = am + n and am/an = am − n

Basically, these laws tell us that when you multiply two numbers in exponential notation having the same base you add exponents, and when you divide them you subtract exponents.

Example 1-12: Suppose we want to determine how much Kevin Brown makes per day for the 7 years in which he is paid $105 million. Assuming 365 days per year, there are 7 times 365 = 2555 days in the 7 years. The amount per day is $105 million/2555 days. As we have seen, $105 million is equal to 1.05 × 108. The number of days express in scientific notation is equal 2.555 × 103. Dividing, we obtain the following.
1.05 × 108 = 0.41096 × 105 2.555 × 103

Note that when 108 is divided by 103, the exponents are subtracted to obtain 105. The division 1.05/2.555 was accomplished by the use of a calculator. The pay per day is $41,096.

Danger!
A common mistake that students sometimes make when applying the laws of exponents occurs when different bases are involved. The following example illustrates this situation.

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and 43 = 64, we know the answer is (22)(43) = 4 × 64 = 256. In addition, we find 43/22 = 64/4 = 16. The following illustrates two common mistakes.
(22)(43) ≠ 82 + 3 = 85 = 32,768

Example 1-13: Suppose we wish to multiply 22 by 43. Since 22 = 4

and
4 43 ≠ 2 2 2
3−2

= 21 = 2

In other words, the rules of exponents stated previously for multiplication and division work only when the bases are the same. Otherwise you have to find a different way, as we did at the beginning of the example.

Prime Factorization
A positive integer greater than 1 that is divisible only by 1 and itself is called a prime number. Some of the smaller prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11. Every positive integer can be expressed as a prime or a product of primes known as prime factorization. This concept introduces students to the algebra concept of factoring. A few examples serve to illustrate this concept.

Example 1-14: Suppose we wish to find the prime factorization of 128. We start by finding all factors of 2 in 128.
128 = 2(64) = 2(2)(32) = 2(2)(2)(16) = 2(2)(2)(2)(8) = 2(2)(2)(2)(2)(4) 128 = 2(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)

So,
128 = 27

Example 1-15: Suppose we wish to find the prime factorization of 258. We start by finding all factors of 2 in 258. Then, we look for

12

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

factors of 3. Once 43 is obtained, we stop because 43 is prime. We say that 258 is expressed as the product of the factors 2, 3, and 43.
258 = 2(129) = 2(3)(43)

Quick Tip
When factoring a positive integer into a product of primes, first factor all 2s out (if any), then factor all 3s out (if any), then factor all 5s out (if any), and continue in this fashion until all the factors are prime numbers.

Algebraic Variables

A variable is a letter that is used to represent a number. A rectangle has area equal to length times width. If A represents the area, l represents the length, and w represents the width, then A = lw. In the formula for the area of a rectangle, A, l, and w are variables. Similarly, the area of a square is A = s2, where s is the length of a side. The area of a circle is A = πr 2, where r is the radius of the circle. A rectangular box having dimensions l, w, and h has volume V = lwh. The volume of a cube is V = s3. The volume of a cylinder is equal to V = πr2h. These six formulas illustrate how physical dimensions such as length, area, and volume may be represented by formulas involving variables.

Basic Algebra Concepts Review

13

Operations with Algebraic Expressions
Example 1-16: A house has two upstairs bedrooms with dimensions x by x + 2, three downstairs bedrooms with dimensions x + 2 by x + 4, a kitchen and a dining room each having dimensions x + 2 by x + 2. What is the total area of these seven rooms?
The area of an upstairs bedroom is x(x + 2) and there are two of these. The area of a downstairs bedroom is (x + 2)(x + 4) and there are three of these. The area of the kitchen and dining room is (x + 2) (x + 2) and there are two of these. The total area A is the sum of three algebraic expressions as follows.

Step 1: A = 2x(x + 2) + 3(x + 2)(x + 4) + 2(x + 2)(x + 2) Step 2: = (x + 2)[2x + 3(x + 4) + 2(x + 2)] Step 3: = (x + 2)[7x + 16]
In the second of the three steps, the common factor (x + 2) was separated and factored out from all three terms. The third step is called the factored form for the area because the area is expressed as the product of two factors. It was derived by using the distributive property and then combining like terms. A term such as x + 2 is called a binomial because it consists of two parts. The product (x + 2)(x + 4) is called a product of two binomials. The multiplication of two binomials is a very important operation in algebra. It may be accomplished by a method known as the FOIL method.

14

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

The FOIL method gets its name from the following: The First terms in the binomials are multiplied, the Outside terms are multiplied, the Inside terms are multiplied, and the Last terms are multiplied.

Combining the like terms 2x and 4x to get 6x, we obtain the following.
(x + 2)(x + 4) = x 2 + 6x + 8

Using this technique, we find that
A = 2x(x + 2) + 3(x + 2)(x + 4) + 2(x + 2)(x + 2) = 2x 2 + 4x + 3(x 2 + 6x + 8) + 2(x 2 + 4x + 4) = 2x 2 + 4x + 3x 2 + 18x + 24 + 2x 2 + 8x + 8 = 7x 2 + 30x + 32

We now have two expressions for the area: A = (x + 2)(7x + 16) and A = 7x2 + 30x + 32. We know that 7x2 + 30x + 32 = (x + 2)(7x + 16). The expression (x + 2)(7x + 16) is called the factorization of 7x2 + 30x + 32. That is, we have expressed 7x2 + 30x + 32 as a product of the two factors x + 2 and 7x + 16. Factoring is a very important part of basic algebra. To make certain that this discussion is clear, suppose x is 12 feet. Then the two upstairs bedrooms each have area 12(14) = 168 square feet. The three downstairs bedrooms each have area 14(16) = 224 square feet. The kitchen and dining room each have area 14(14) = 196 square feet. The total is then 2(168) + 3(224) + 2(196) = 1400. This total can also be found by using 7x2 + 30x + 32 = (x + 2)(7x + 16) when x = 12.

Basic Algebra Concepts Review

15

7(12)2 + 30(12) + 32 = 1400 (12 + 2)[7(12) + 16] = 14 × 100 = 1400

Factoring
Example 1-17: A trinomial consists of three terms and can be factored by using the FOIL method for multiplying binomials in reverse. Suppose we wish to factor x2 + 3x + 2. If the first terms are both x, we see that their product is x2. That is F = x(x) = x2. If the last terms are 1 and 2, their product is 2.That is L = 1(2) = 2.This suggests that the product (x + 1)(x + 2) is possibly the factorization for x2 + 3x + 2. The factorization is correct if the inside and outside products add to 3x. The product of the inside terms is I = x(1) = x and the product of the outside terms is O = x(2) = 2x and their sum is 3x. We see that (x + 1)(x + 2) is the correct factorization for x2 + 3x + 2.

Example 1-18: The factorization in Example 1-17 is straightforward and relatively easy to follow. When the first term of the trinomial is x2, it is usually easy to use the FOIL method in reverse. Suppose we wish to factor 4x2 + 4x − 3.The product of the first terms is F = 4x2 and the product of the last terms is L = −3. In addition, O + I must equal 4x. Table 1-3 lists some possibilities for first terms and last terms that satisfy F = 4x2 and L = −3. Note that six more possibilities would be obtained by replacing the terms in the a and c columns by their negatives. Table 1-3 Listing Some Possibilities

(a + b)(c + d) a b c d F O I L O+I

4x 4x x x 2x 2x

1 −1 1 −1 1 -1

x x 4x 4x 2x 2x

−3 3 −3 3 −3 3

4x2 4x2 4x2 4x2 4x2 4x2

−12x 12x −3x 3x −6x 6x

x −x 4x −4x 2x -2x

−3 −3 −3 −3 −3 -3

−11x 11x x −x −4x 4x

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From Table 1-3, it is seen that the last row, shown in bold, is the only one that gives O + I = 4x. The correct factorization is then as follows.
4x 2 + 4x − 3 = (2x − 1)(2x + 3)

With practice, you can perform an equivalent process in the “mind’s eye” that the table illustrates.

Example 1-19: Factor 17x2 − 24x + 7. We need the product of the first terms to equal 17x2; that is, F = 17x2 and the product of the last terms to equal 7. We also need to have O + I = −24x. Table 1-4 lists some of the possibilities, with the correct one shown in bold. Listing Some Possibilities

Table 1-4

(a + b)(c + d) a b c d F O I L O+I

17x 17x x x 17x 17x x x

1 7 1 7 −1 -7 -1 −7

x x 17x 17x x x 17x 17x

7 1 7 1 −7 -1 -7 −1

17x2 17x2 17x2 17x2 17x2 17x2 17x2 17x2

119x 17x 7x x −119x -17x -7x −x

x 7x 17x 119x −x -7x -17x −119x

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

120x 24x 24x 120x −120x -24x -24x −120x

From Table 1-4, we see that either (17x − 7)(x − 1) or (x − 1)(17x − 7) is a correct factorization for 17x2 − 24x + 7.

Solving Equations
Example 1-20: This example illustrates one of the most frequently asked questions that teachers/professors encounter from their students. Suppose the grade in an algebra course is deter-

Basic Algebra Concepts Review

17

mined by four tests worth 100 points each and a final exam that counts 200 points. A student has scored 70, 55, 79, and 85 on the four tests. The student asks “What must I score on the final in order to obtain a C in the course?” Assuming 70% of the total points are needed to receive a C, the answer is found as follows. Suppose we let x represent the number of points required on the final. The sum 70 + 55 + 79 + 85 + x = 289 + x must be at least 70% of the total possible. Because the total possible is 600, this leads to the following equation.
289 + x = 0.70 600

To solve this equation, we multiply both sides of the equation by 600 to obtain
289 + x = 600(0.70) 289 + x = 420

By subtracting 289 from both sides of 289 + x = 420, we find that x = 131. That is the student must score at least 131 points on the final exam to receive at least a C in the course. If the final is expressed as a percent, the student must score at least 131/200(100) = 66% on the final to obtain a C in the course.

Short Cuts
The recent development of computer algebra software has added a new dimension to the teaching of algebra at all levels. One of the widely used computer algebra packages is MAPLE (Waterloo Maple Inc., 57 Erb Street West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 6C2). This program is available at many universities and a version for use in high school and community college mathematics is currently being investigated. I have used MAPLE to supplement the teaching of my intermediate algebra course and it has been well received by my students. (The results of a study concerning this usage is reported in a paper entitled “The Use of Computer Algebra in Teaching Intermediate and College Algebra” by Larry J. Stephens and John Konvalina in the International Journal of Mathematical Education in

18

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Science and Technology, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 483–488.) Output from this software will be included at various points in this book. The MAPLE solution to Example 1-20 is as follows: >solve( (289 + x)/600 = .70); is the command in MAPLE to solve the equation. 131 is the answer provided by MAPLE, the same as obtained in Example 1-20.

Don’t Forget
The real numbers are best visualized as corresponding to points lying along a line extending from very small negative numbers on the left side to very large positive numbers on the right.

Operations on Fractions
1. To add or subtract fractions, first change all fractions to equivalent fractions having a common denominator. Then add or subtract the numerators and put the result over the common denominator. 2. To multiply fractions, multiply the numerators and put the result over the product of the denominators. 3. To divide fractions, invert the fraction you are dividing by and then multiply.

Fundamental Operations Involving Signed Numbers
1. The sum of two positive numbers is positive and the sum of two negative numbers is negative. 2. The sum of a positive and a negative number is positive if the larger number (in absolute value) is positive, and the sum is negative if the larger number (in absolute value) is negative. The sum of a positive and a negative number having the same absolute value is zero. 3. To subtract two signed numbers, add the opposite of the second signed number. 4. The product of a positive number and a negative number is negative. The product of two positive numbers or the product of two negative numbers is positive.

Basic Algebra Concepts Review

19

5. The quotient of a positive and a negative number is negative and the quotient of two negative numbers or two positive numbers is positive. A number expressed as a product of a number between 1 and 10 (not including 10) or −1 and −10 and some power of 10 is said to be in scientific notation. When you multiply two numbers in exponential notation having the same base, you add exponents and when you divide two numbers in exponential notation having the same base, you subtract exponents. Each positive integer is either a prime number or it is expressible as a product of primes. A variable is a letter that is used to represent a number. Examples of the use of variables in area and volume formulas are as follows: The area A of a rectangle having length l and width w is A = lw. The area A of a square having a side equal to s is A = s2. The area A of a circle having radius r is A = πr2. The volume V of a rectangular solid having length l, width w, and height h, is V = lwh. The volume V of a cube having a side equal to s is V = s3. The volume V of a right circular cylinder having radius r and height h is V = πr2h. Different algebraic expressions may be combined by the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. A solution to an equation is a number that makes the equation true when the number is substituted for the variable in that equation.

Questions
Test Yourself 1. Give the decimal equivalents for the Wednesday 52-week high, 52-week low, close, and change for Pfizer shown in Table 1-1. 2. Use the Wednesday and Thursday closing values in Table 1-1 to obtain the change value given on Thursday for a share of IBM.

20

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

3. Suppose the Exxon closing value in Table 1-1 was split into halves on Wednesday. What would each new share be worth? 4. Find the percent change for GE on Thursday. 5. Evaluate 6. Evaluate 7. Evaluate 36 7 4 + − . 16 32 64 7 72 . 36 14 17 34 ÷ . 55 165

8. Suppose the daily changes for AT&T stock were +1, −3, +4, +1.5, and −3 week? 9. Suppose Coca-Cola stock is down 3 points for each day in a given week. What was the change for the week? 10. Evaluate −500 divided by −125. 11. A total of 2,600,000,000 prescriptions were filled in the United States last year. Express this number in scientific notation. 12. Referring to Problem 11, how many prescriptions were filled per day last year. Assume an equal number were filled per day and express your answer in scientific notation. 13. Evaluate (33)(24). 14. Give the prime factorization for 30,240. 15. Give the prime factorization for 15,015. 16. Use the FOIL method on the two separate parts of the following expression to find a simplified expression for it: (x + 3)(2x − 5) − (2x + 1)(x + 3) 17. Factor x2 + x − 42. 18. Factor 6x2 − 7x − 5. 19. Factor 3x2 + 10x − 8. 20. Suppose your grade is determined from four 100-point exams. You have scored 85, 70, and 60 on the first three and it is required that your average be at least 80 on the four tests in 7 during a given week. What was the change for the 16

Basic Algebra Concepts Review

21

order to receive a B in the course. Is it possible to receive a B in the course?

Answers
1. 134.875, 84.125, 132.5, and −1.375 2. − 1 8 119 128

3. 33

4. −0.62% 5. 0 6. 1 7. 1.5 8. 1 16

9. −15 10. 4 11. 2.6 × 109 12. 7.1 × 106 13. 432 14. 25(33)(5)(7) 15. 3(5)(7)(11)(13) 16. −6x − 18 17. (x − 6)(x + 7) 18. (3x − 5)(2x + 1) 19. (3x − 2)(x + 4) 20. No, you would need 105 points to average 80% on the four tests.

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CHAPTER 2 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Properties of Numbers v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

➜ What is the distributive property of numbers? ➜ What is the additive inverse of a number? ➜ What is the multiplicative inverse of a number? ➜ What is the additive identity? ➜ What is the multiplicative identity? ➜ What is the commutative law of addition? ➜ What is the associative law of addition? ➜ What is the commutative law of multiplication? ➜ What is the associative law of multiplication? ➜ What is the multiplication property of zero? ➜ What is the proper order of operations? v v v

23
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Distributive Property
Example 2-1: A real estate management company owns an apartment complex. The complex contains three two-bedroom apartments and three three-bedroom apartments. The two-bedroom apartments rent for $750 per month and the three-bedroom ones rent for $1000 per month. Compute the monthly rent from the six apartments in two different ways. One method would be to add the cost of a two-bedroom apartment and a three-bedroom apartment to get $1750 and then to multiply $1750 by 3 to get $5250. This could be represented by 3($750 + $1000). An equivalent method is to multiply the rent for a twobedroom apartment by 3 to get $2250, multiply the rent for a threebedroom apartment by 3 to get $3000, and then add these two to obtain $5250. This could be represented by 3($750) + 3($1000). This discussion is summarized by the following equation.
3($750 + $1000) = 3($750) + 3($1000)

This computation illustrates the distributive property of numbers. This property of numbers is widely used in algebra. This property is generalized as follows: For any numbers a, b, and c, a(b + c) = ab + ac

Danger!
A common mistake that is often made in applying the distributive law is the following, especially if a calculator is being used. To evaluate 3($750 + $1000), a 3 will be entered into the calculator, followed with multiplication by $750, followed by the addition of $1000. This will result in 3(750) + 1000 = 3250, which, of course, is not correct. The parentheses indicate that the addition should be completed first and then be followed by the multiplication. The following order of operations may also result in an incorrect answer. The addition of $750 and $1000 is immediately followed by a multiplication by 3. If the addition is not completed before the multiplication by 3, the answer 750 + 1000(3) = 3750 is obtained. In

Properties of Numbers

25

this case $750 was added to $1000 times 3 which yields $3750. To ensure that the addition is accomplished before the multiplication by 3, hit the equal button on the calculator after the addition and before multiplying by 3. Also, if the calculator has parentheses, these can be used to ensure the proper order of operations. Table 2-1 gives some examples of the application of the distributive law.

Table 2-1
EQUIVALENT EXPRESSION

EXPRESSION

10(5 + 5) X(A + B) 5(4 − 2) W(2X + 3Y) 4A(2B − 3C)

50 + 50 XA + XB 20 − 10 2WX + 3WY 8AB − 12AC

Additive Inverse
Example 2-2: Suppose you deposit $150 into your checking account and then use your debit card to purchase a CD player for $150. What net result will these two transactions produce?
The deposit can be represented by $150 and the debit card purchase can be represented by −$150. The net result is $150 − $150 = 0. The algebra term that describes this is additive inverse. We can say that the debit card purchase is the additive inverse of the deposit, or that the deposit is the additive inverse of the debit card purchase. In general, for any number a, there always exist another number −a, called the additive inverse of a, for which the following is true. a + (−a) = 0

Table 2-2 gives some quantities and their additive inverses.

26

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Table 2-2
QUANTITY ADDITIVE INVERSE

20 −50 X X+Y $1.50

−20 50 −X −X −Y −$1.50

Multiplicative Inverse
Example 2-3: Suppose five powerball winners are to share $1,000,000. The share per winner can be determined by dividing the $1,000,000 by 5 to obtain $200,000 each. Is there a number we could multiply times $1,000,000 to obtain the share per winner? Yes, there is such a number. It is called multiplicative inverse of 5 and is equal 1 1 to 1 divided by 5, or . This written as a decimal is 0.2. Note that 5 5 0.2 times $1,000,000 also gives $200,000.

Quick Tip
One practical use of the multiplicative inverse involves its use to express quantities on a per unit basis.

Example 2-4: For example suppose 10 pounds of bananas cost 90 cents. The cost per pound can be found by multiplying 90 cents by 1 the multiplicative inverse of 10 or = 0.1. The cost per pound is 90 10 (0.1) or 9 cents per pound.

Properties of Numbers

27

Example 2-5: Suppose 2 ounces ( pound) of black pepper cost

1 8 75 cents. The cost per pound can be found by multiplying 75 cents 1 1 by the multiplicative inverse of . (If is divided into 1 the result is 8 8 1 is 8. The cost per pound is 8). The multiplicative inverse of 8 75(8) = $6.00. Table 2-3 gives various quantities and their multiplicative inverses. The multiplicative inverse (for any number other than zero) is found by dividing the number into 1. If a represents a nonzero 1 number, then the multiplicative inverse for a is . a

Table 2-3
QUANTITY MULTIPLICATIVE INVERSE

10 2 0.02 = 100 −0.2 = − 2 10

0.10 100 = 50 2 − 10 = −5 2 1/X Y

X, when X ≠ 0 1/Y, when Y ≠ 0

Additive Identity
The numbers 0 and 1 play such important roles in algebra that they are given special names.The number 0 is called the additive identity. It has the property that when it is added to any other number, the result is the original number. The original number keeps its “identity.” For any number a, we have the following equation. a+0=0+a=a 28

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Multiplicative Identity
The number 1 is called the multiplicative identity. It has the property that when it is multiplied times any other number, the result is the original number. The original number keeps its “identity.” For any number a, we have the following equation. a(1) = 1(a) = a

Table 2-4 gives several examples of algebraic operations involving the additive identity and the multiplicative identity.

Table 2-4
ALGEBRAIC OPERATION RESULT

12 + 0 M(1) X+0 Y(1) + 0 Y(1 + 0)

12 M X Y Y

Commutative Law of Addition
Example 2-6: Larry and Lana had a lucky day at the casino. Lana played video poker and won $2000 and Larry played the slot machine called Flaming Sevens. He won $3000.

$2000 + $3000 = $3000 + $2000

Properties of Numbers

29

Whether Lana cashes in first and Larry second or Larry cashes in first and Lana second, the total is the same. We refer to this fact in algebra as the commutative law of addition. In general, if a and b are any numbers, then the commutative law of addition states that a+b=b+a Associative Law of Addition
120 minutes + (30 minutes + 60 minutes) = (120 minutes + 30 minutes) + 60 minutes

Example 2-7: Three family members each have a cell phone. The monthly uses for the three members are 120, 30, and 60 minutes. In determining the total time, you can add 30 and 60 to get 90 and then add 90 to 120 to obtain 210 minutes or you can add 120 and 30 to get 150 and then add 150 and 60 to get 210 minutes. The result is the same for each. This illustrates the associative law of addition.
In general, if a, b, and c are any numbers, then the associative law of addition is: a + (b + c) = (a + b) + c

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Commutative Law of Multiplication
Example 2-8: A nursery sells roses for $1.50 each. To determine the cost of half a dozen roses, you can multiply 6 times the cost of one rose to obtain 6($1.50) = $9.00 or you can multiply the cost of one times 6 to obtain $1.50(6) = $9.00. In general, if a and b are any numbers, then the commutative law of multiplication states that a(b) = b(a)

Associative Law of Multiplication
Example 2-9: If one rose costs $1.50, how much would three dozen roses cost? We could first figure the number of roses in three dozen to obtain 3 12 = 36. Then multiply 36 times the cost per rose to obtain (3 12)$1.50 = $54. Or, we could figure the cost of a dozen as 12($1.50) = $18. Then follow this by multiplying by the number of dozens to obtain 3(12 $1.50) = $54. If a, b, and c are real numbers, then the associative law of multiplication states that a(b c) = (a b)c

Multiplication Property of Zero
The multiplication property of zero states that when zero is multiplied by any real number a, the result is zero, that is, a(0) = 0(a) = 0

Properties of Numbers

31

Pattern
Expressions are encountered in algebra that require the utilization of many of the properties discussed in this chapter. The proper order of operations in such expressions is as follows. 1. Evaluate inside grouping symbols—parentheses ( ), brackets [ ], braces { }, or absolute values | |—first. Also evaluate expressions above or below a fraction bar or under a radical. 2. Evaluate powers, roots, and absolute values. 3. Evaluate multiplications and divisions as they occur from left to right. 4. Evaluate additions and subtractions as they occur from left to right.

2[(3 + 4)(4) − 2(3)(5) − {10 − 6}] The proper steps to follow in evaluating the expression are as follows:
2[(3 + 4)(4) − 2(3)(5) − {10 − 6}] = 2[(7)(4) − 2(3)(5) − {4}] (Evaluate inside parenthesis and braces.) = 2[28 − 30 − 4] (Evaluate multiplications and divisions from left to right.) = 2[−6] (Evaluate additions and subtractions from left to right.) = −12

Example 2-10: Suppose we wish to evaluate the expression:

After discussing powers, roots and absolute values in the following chapters, we want to remember the order of operations as summarized above.

Short Cuts
The ultimate in speed for evaluating expressions in algebra is provided by computer software. Consider the solution to Example 2-10 produced by the software package MAPLE. This software is available for student use at many colleges and universities. After accessing the software, the prompt provided is the character >. Study the syntax for the command and identify the characters used for multiply, divide, etc.
> 2*[(3 + 4)*(4) - 2*3*5 - (10 - 6)]; [-12]

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Don’t Forget
The following laws need to be practiced by working problems from your algebra text until you have them memorized. They need to become a part of your algebra vocabulary. The distributive law: a (b + c) = ab + ac The additive inverse: a + (−a) = 0 The multiplicative inverse: a (1/a) = a/a = 1, a ≠ 0 The additive identity: a + 0 = 0 + a = a The multiplicative identity: a (1) = 1(a) = a The commutative law for addition: a + b = b + a The associative law for addition: a + (b + c) = (a + b) + c The commutative law for multiplication: a (b) = b (a) The associative law for multiplication: a (b c) = (a b)c The multiplication property of zero: a (0) = 0(a) = 0

Questions
Test Yourself 1. Use the distributive property of numbers to find an equivalent expression for the following: (a) 2(3 + 5) (b) x(y + z) (c) 3a(2b + c) 2. Give the additive inverse for the following: (a) −575 (b) −2x + 4W (c) $75 3. Give the multiplicative inverse for the following: (a) 0.5 (b) −5 (c) x + 2y ≠ 0

Properties of Numbers

33

4. If a box of 10 floppy disks cost $5, what is the cost per floppy? Use the multiplicative inverse to find the answer. 5. If raw sunflower seeds are 10 cents per ounce, what would onehalf pound cost? Use the multiplicative inverse to find the answer. 6. Use the commutative law of addition to give an equivalent expression for the following: (a) 4 + 8 (b) 2x − 4s (c) a + b 7. Use the associative law of addition to give an equivalent expression for the following: (a) 4 + (2 + 5) (b) (4 + 2) + 5 8. Use the commutative law of multiplication to give an equivalent expression for the following: (a) 25(78) (b) 78(25) 9. Use the associative law of multiplication to find an equivalent expression for the following: (a) 33(13 12) (b) (2x 4x)z 10. Evaluate the expression [2(3) − 5/5 + 6(3 + 4(7))].

Answers
1. (a) 6 + 10 2. (a) 575 3. (a) 2 4. 50 cents 5. 80 cents (b) xy + xz (b) 2x − 4W (b) −0.2 (c) 6ab + 3ac (c) −$75 1 (c) x + 2y

34
6. (a) 8 + 4 8. (a) 78(25) 10. 191

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

(b) −4s + 2x (b) 25(78)

(c) b + a

7. (a) (4 + 2) + 5 9. (a) (33 13)12

(b) 4 + (2 + 5) (b) 2x(4x z)

CHAPTER 3 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Functions v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

➜ What is a function and what are the domain and range of a function? ➜ What is a one-to-one function? ➜ What is a rectangular coordinate system? are Minitab ➜ What of algebra? and Excel and how can they enhance the study What is a and what ➜ associatedlinearafunctionfunction? is the slope and y-intercept with linear ➜ What is an inverse function? ➜ What are the vertical and horizontal line tests?

v v v

35
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Function, Domain, and Range
Example 3-1: The National Football League is composed of the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). There are three divisions in each conference and five teams in each division. Table 3-1 gives the standings for the West division of the AFC.
Table 3-1
TEAM

Standings in the West Division of the AFC
WON LOST PCT

Denver Oakland San Diego Seattle Kansas City

11 7 5 5 4

0 4 6 6 7

1.000 .636 .455 .455 .364

A function is a rule that assigns to each element in a set, called the domain, exactly one element in a second set, called the range. In Table 3-1, if the domain is the set of teams in the West division of the AFC and the range is the set of percentages in the pct column, then the rule that connects the two sets can be described as follows. For a given team, the pct is formed by dividing the number of games won by the total number of games played. (Note that the pct values are not actually percentages. They would need to be multiplied by 100 to actually be percentages.) The elements in the domain of the function are often represented by the letter x and the elements of the range are represented by the letter y. The functional relationship may be expressed in equation form as follows. y = f(x)

The function notation does not mean f times x. The notation, f(x), is read “f of x.” It tells us how y is determined when x is specified. If

Functions

37 x = Oakland, then f(Oakland) = 7/11 = 0.636. If x = Denver, then f(Denver) = 11/11 = 1.000. The other three pct values are found in the same manner.

Quick Tip
Examples of the concept function are all around us in the real world. The NYSE, NASDAQ, and AMEX stock listings as well the mutual funds listings may be regarded as functions. For the stock listings, the companies comprise the domain. There are several different ranges such as the closing value, change, and the price to earnings ratio (P/E). The domain for the mutual funds is the different funds. Ranges are measures such as NAV (net asset value), year-to-date total return percent, and change.

One-to-One Function
If there is exactly one element in the range for each element in the domain and if there is exactly one element in the domain for each element in the range, then we say that the function is a one-to-one function. The function described in Table 3-1 is not a one-to-one function because the element .455 in the range corresponds to both San Diego and Seattle. That is, these two teams have identical won and lost records and hence the same pct values. If all five teams had different won/lost records, then the function would be one-to-one.

Example 3-2: If the Centigrade temperatures are the elements of the domain and the Fahrenheit temperatures are the elements of the range, then the values in Table 3-2 represent a functional relationship, because there is exactly one value in the range for each domain value. Furthermore, the function is a one-to-one function because it is also true that for each range value (Fahrenheit temperature) there is only one domain value (Centigrade temperature).

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Table 3-2 Fahrenheit and Centigrade Temperatures
DOMAIN X = CENTIGRADE RANGE Y = FAHRENHEIT

0* 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100†
*Freezing point of water. † Boiling point of water.

32* 50 68 86 104 122 140 158 176 194 212†

Rectangular Coordinate System
Example 3-3: Functions are often represented by plotting pairs of values such as those shown in Table 3-2 in a rectangular coordinate system. A plot of these points is shown in Fig. 3-1. This plot was produced by the software package Minitab. Note that each plotted point represents a given pair of values from Table 3-2. Figure 3-2 gives many of the terms associated with a rectangular coordinate system. The coordinate system is composed of two perpendicular lines called the x-axis and the y-axis. The x-axis and the y-axis meet at a point called the origin. The four quadrants are numbered in a counterclockwise manner as shown in the figure. Figure 3-1 is actually a portion of the first quadrant only. In this figure, the x-axis, also called Centigrade, is scaled from 0 to 100 and the y-axis, is called Fahrenheit and scaled from 20 to 220. As indicated in Fig. 3-2, in quadrant I, the x-value is positive and the y-value is positive.

Functions

39

Fig. 3-1

Fig. 3-2 In quadrant II, the x-value is negative and the y-value is positive, in quadrant III, the x-value is negative and the y-value is negative, and in quadrant IV, the x-value is positive and the y-value is negative.

Example 3-4: The bar graph is another popular device used to represent a function. Fig. 3-3 is a bar graph produced by Minitab, giving the baseball teams with the most MVPs (most valuable player) prior to the 1998 season.

Fig. 3-3 The domain of this bar graph consists of the six teams and the range consists of the numbers 9, 10, 11, 14, and 18.

40

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Thus far we have considered three different methods of illustrating a function: a table, a rectangular coordinate system, and a bar chart. There are many other methods. The functions considered have all consisted of a finite number of pairs. Often, we are interested in functions consisting of infinitely many pairs. A rectangular coordinate system is particularly useful in representing such functions. Figure 3-1 shows the relationship between 11 pairs of Centigrade and Fahrenheit temperatures. If these points are connected by use of a ruler, a graph of the infinite number of pairs of possible corresponding points is obtained. The Microsoft Excel spreadsheet graph obtained when the points in Fig. 3-1 are connected by use of a ruler is shown in Fig. 3-4. This graph shows the infinite number of pairs of points that exist between the Centigrade and the Fahrenheit temperature scales.

Fig. 3-4

Linear Functions
The points in Fig. 3-4 fall on a straight line. Such a function is said to be linear. A linear function can always be expressed as follows, where m is the slope of the line and b is the y-intercept. f(x) = mx + b

Functions

41

Short Cuts
Example 3-5: One technique for determining m and b is now given. The y-intercept is the point where the line intercepts the y-axis. The y-intercept is the point (0, b). This point can easily be determined from Table 3-2. Note from Table 3-2 that when x = 0, y = 32, implying that b = 32. The slope is determined by choosing any two points on the line and dividing the difference in the y-values by the difference in the x-values. Suppose we choose the freezing and boiling points of water: (0, 32) and (100, 212). The slope m is found as follows: m= 212 - 32 = 1.8 100 - 0

The equation of the linear function connecting Fahrenheit (y) to Centigrade (x) is: y = f(x) = 1.8x + 32

Two widely used software packages have been introduced so far in this chapter. Both of these software packages are enhancements to the understanding of algebra. A third software package that is even more useful in helping to enhance the learning of algebra is the package called MAPLE. Consider the example of a vacationing family traveling at a constant velocity of 70 miles per hour along Interstate 80. In 1 hour the family travels 70 miles. In 2 hours, the family travels 140 miles. In 2-1/2 hours the family travels 140 + 35 = 175 miles, and so forth. In general, the family travels 70x miles in x hours. That is, the functional relationship between time x and distance y is y = f (x) = 70x. A MAPLE plot for this function is shown in Fig. 3-5.

Fig. 3-5

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Inverse Function
Example 3-6: When a function is a one-to-one function, there exists an inverse function. This concept can be illustrated with the temperature conversion example discussed earlier. Because there is exactly one Fahrenheit temperature corresponding to each Centigrade temperature and exactly one Centigrade temperature corresponding to each Fahrenheit temperature, the function y = f(x) = 1.8x + 32 or Fahrenheit = 1.8(Centigrade) + 32 can be solved for x as follows. First subtract 32 from both sides. y − 32 = 1.8x

Next, divide both sides of this new equation by 1.8 to obtain the following. y − 32 =x 1.8

Simplifying the left-hand side we get
0.556y − 17.778 = x

Finally, the expression for x can be expressed as x = 0.556y − 17.778

Replacing x by the word Centigrade and y by the word Fahrenheit, we have
Centigrade temperature = 0.556 Fahrenheit temperature − 17.778

To convert the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit, 212, to Centigrade multiply 212 by 0.556 and subtract 17.778 to obtain 100.094. The value 100.094 is obtained rather than 100 because of round-off error.

Functions

43

Short Cuts
Two visual tests of graphs that are often used to determine functions and their possible one-to-one relationship are the horizontal line test and the vertical line test. The vertical line test determines whether it is a function and the horizontal line test determines whether it is a one-to-one function. The vertical line test states that a graph represents a function if every vertical line intersects the graph in only one point. The horizontal line test states that if every horizontal line intersects the graph of the given function in no more than one point, then it is a one-to-one function and its inverse will also be a function.

Example 3-7: By considering Fig. 3-5, we note that any vertical line you could draw intersects the graph in exactly one point and that any horizontal line you could draw intersects the graph in exactly one point. The equation of the line in Fig. 3-5 is y = 70x, where x is time and y is distance. Solving for time in terms of distance, we obtain the equation x= y 70

Or expressed in another way, we have
Time = distance 70

This is the inverse function for the function: distance = 70 time.

Pattern
The following three steps are recommended to find the equation of the inverse function for a one-to-one function. Step 1: Exchange x and y in the given equation. Step 2: Solve for y.

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Step 3: Replace y by f −1(x). This notation is used to represent the inverse function that corresponds to the function f (x). This notation represents the set of ordered pairs of the form (y,x), where (x,y) belongs to f. It does not represent 1 over f (x).

Example 3-8: The equation for the function relating Centigrade temperature x to Fahrenheit y is y = 1.8x + 32.

Step 1: Exchange x and y in the given equation. x = 1.8y + 32

Step 2: Solve for y. x − 32 = 1.8y (Add −32 to both sides of the equation.) x − 32 = y (Divide both sides by 1.8.) 1.8

Step 3: Replace y by f −1(x). f −1(x) = x − 32 , where x now represents Fahrenheit temperatures. 1.8

To convert the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit, 212, to Centigrade, we proceed as follows: f −1(212) = 212 − 32 = 100 1.8

Note that the function is represented by f(x) and the inverse function is represented by f −1(x). In this example, f(x) = 1.8x + 32 is used to convert Centigrade to Fahrenheit and f −1(x) = to convert Fahrenheit to Centigrade. x − 32 is used 1.8

Example 3-9: Use the three-step procedure to solve Example
3-7. The equation relating distance to time is y = 70x.

Functions

45
Step 1: Exchange x and y in the given equation. x = 70y

Step 2: Solve for y. x =y 70

Step 3: Replace y with f−1(x). f −1(x) = x , where x represents distance traveled 70 and f−1(x) gives the time required.

Danger!
Beware! Not every tabular presentation of data represents a function

Example 3-10: Table 3-3 indicates that in 1995, four states executed 1 prisoner, four states executed 2 prisoners, two states executed 3 prisoners, two states executed 5 prisoners, one state executed 6 prisoners, and one state executed 19 prisoners. If the Table 3-3 Prisoners Executed in 1995
RANGE Y = STATES

DOMAIN X = NUMBER EXECUTED

1 2 3 5 6 19
Source: U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.

AZ, DE, LA, SC AL, AR, GA, NC FL, OK IL, VA MO TX

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

number executed is the domain and the state is the range, then this presentation does not represent a function because for each element in the domain there is not exactly one element in the range.

Don’t Forget
A function is a rule that assigns to each element of one set called the domain, exactly one element of a second set called the range. A one-to-one function is a function in which each value of x is paired with exactly one value of y and each value of y is paired with exactly one value of x. A rectangular coordinate system consists of two perpendicular lines called the x-axis and the y-axis, a center point called the origin, and four quadrants. A bar graph can be used to plot a function in which the domain consists of categories and the range consists of the frequency of occurrence for the categories. When a function is a one-to-one function, there exists an inverse function. The domain of the inverse function is the same as the range of the original function and the range of the inverse function is the same as the domain of the original function. If every vertical line you could draw intersects a graph in only one point, then the graph represents a function. This is referred to as the vertical line test. If each horizontal line that can be drawn intersects the graph of a given function in no more than one point, then it is a one-to-one function and its inverse will also be a function. This result is referred to as the horizontal line test.

Questions
Test Yourself 1. In Table 3-4, if the domain is the players and the range is the number of home runs, would that portion of the table consisting of players and home runs represent a function? If it is a function, is it a one-to-one function?

Functions

47
Table 3-4 Five Top Home Run Hitters of All Time
HOME RUNS POSITIONS PLAYED

PLAYER

Hank Aaron Babe Ruth Willie Mays Frank Robinson Harmon Killebrew

755 714 660 586 573

Outfield Outfield, pitcher Outfield Outfield, designated hitter, first base First base, third base, outfield, designated hitter

2. In Table 3-4, if the domain is the players and the range is the positions played, would that portion of the table represent a function? If it is a function, is it a one-to-one function? 3. Consider the function composed of the ordered pairs {(1, 2), (−2, 3), (−1, −3), (3, −4)}. (a) Give the domain for this function. (b) Give the range for this function. (c) If the ordered pairs are plotted, what quadrant of the rectangular coordinate system would each fall in? 4. Figure 3-6 shows an Excel-generated pie chart. What is the domain and range for this function,?

Fig. 3-6

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5. For the linear function f(x) = 2x + 4, where does the graph of this function intercept the y-axis? What is the slope of the line? 6. If f(x) = 3x − 3, find f(3). 7. If f(x) = x + 4, find f −1(x). 8. In Problem 7, find f(6) and f −1(10). 9. If f(x) = 10x − 5, find f −1(x). 10. In Problem 9, find f(2) and f −1(15).

Answers
1. It is a one-to-one function. 2. Not a function 3. (a) Domain consists of −2, −1, 1, and 3. (b) Range consists of −4, −3, 2, and 3. (c) I, II, III, and IV, respectively. 4. Domain consists of diet, oral medication, and insulin. Range consists of 20%, 30%, and 50%. 5. (0, 4) slope = 2. 6. 6 7. f −1(x) = x − 4. 8. f(6) = 10 and f −1(10) = 6. 9. f −1(x) = (x + 5)/10. 10. f(2) = 15 and f −1(15) = 2.

CHAPTER 4 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Linear Functions and Linear Equations v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

➜ What is the slope of a straight line? ➜ What are the x- and y-intercepts of a straight line? ➜ How can I use the slope to determine if two lines are parallel or perpendicular? are the multiplication and ➜ Whatsolving linear equations? addition principles associated with

v v v

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Linear Functions
Example 4-1: In Chapter 3, we saw that a linear function has an equation of the form y = mx + b and has a graph that is a straight line. Telephone bills are made up of two parts, a fixed cost as well as a variable part. Suppose the local communications cost is equal to $25.00 per month and that the long-distance component cost consists of a charge of 15 cents per minute for long-distance calls within the continental United States. If x represents the number of longdistance minutes per month, and y represents the total amount of the monthly bill, then y may be expressed as y = 25 + 0.15x. A plot of the function y = 25 + 0.15x Cost = 25 + 0.15 (long-distance minutes)

is shown in Fig. 4-1.

Fig. 4-1

Linear Functions and Linear Equations

51

Slope of a Straight Line long-distance minutes in Fig. 4-1. For x = 50 minutes, the cost is y = 25 + 0.15(50) = $32.50 and for x = 80 minutes, the cost is y = 25 + 0.15(80) = $37.00. The change in x and the change in y for these two points are shown in the figure. The ratio of the change in y to the change in x is called the slope of the line. From Fig. 4-1 we have the following:
Change in x = 80 − 50 = 30 and Change in y = 37.00 − 32.50 = 4.50

Example 4-2: Two points are shown on the graph relating cost to

The slope is found as follows: m= change in y 4.50 = = 0.15 change in x 30

Note that the slope is the same as the long-distance cost per minute. The slope tells us that for a 1-minute increase in long-distance time, the cost increases 0.15 dollars or 15 cents. If (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) represent any two points on a straight line then the slope may be found by using the following equation: m= change in y y2 − y1 y1 − y2 = = change in x x2 − x1 x1 − x2

Danger!
In calculating the slope, it does not matter which point you label (x1, y1) and which you label (x2, y2). For the slope calculation related to Fig. 4-1, if we compute change in x = 50 − 80 = −30 and change in y = 32.50 − 37.00 = −4.50, then m = −4.50/(−30) = 0.15 and we obtain the same slope as computed previously. However, do not use different orders of the points in computing the change in x and for computing the change in y. This will give you the slope with an incorrect sign.

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x- and y-Intercepts of a Straight Line

Example 4-3: Suppose that you inherit $50,000 and are trying to decide what part to invest in the stock market and what part to invest in mutual funds. Suppose x represents the amount to be invested in the stock market and y represents the amount to be invested in mutual funds. Then x and y must satisfy the following equality x + y = 50,000. An equivalent way of expressing this relation is y = 50,000 − x. A Minitab plot of the possible allocations to stocks and mutual funds is shown in Fig. 4.2. The point where the

Fig. 4-2

Linear Functions and Linear Equations

53

line cuts the x-axis is called the x-intercept and the point where the line cuts the y-axis is called the y-intercept. The x-intercept is found by setting y equal to zero and solving the equation y = 50,000 − x for x. This is seen to equal 50,000. This would represent the amount put into stocks if nothing were put into mutual funds. The y-intercept is found by setting x = 0 and solving the equation for y. This is also seen to be equal to 50,000. Thus, if nothing is put into stocks, then 50,000 is put into mutual funds. Comparing the equation y = −x + 50,000 to the general linear equation y = mx + b, we see that the slope is equal to −1. This tells us that for each increase of $1 put into stocks there is $1 less available to put into mutual funds. Remember, to find the x-intercept, set y equal to zero in the linear equation and solve for x. To find the y-intercept, set x equal to zero and solve for y. Remember the graph of the straight line represents all possible pairs for which the sum invested is equal to $50,000. In this example, the intercepts represent the extremes for the investments where all is put into one or the other. That is, all of the $50,000 is put into stocks and nothing is put into mutual funds or vice versa.

Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
Figure 4-3 is an Excel plot showing three different investments where the money is invested in both mutual funds and the stock market.The line with x-intercept (50,000, 0) and y-intercept (0, 50,000) is the same as that given in Fig. 4-2. The line with x-intercept (100,000, 0) and y-intercept (0, 100,000) represents the possible investments of $100,000 into stocks and mutual funds and has the equation x + y = 100,000. The line through the origin is the line y = x and represents equal investments in stocks and mutual funds.The three lines may be written as y = −x + 50,000, y = −x + 100,000, and y = x. From Fig. 4-3, it can be seen that both lines y = −x + 50,000 and y = −x + 100,000 have equal slopes (both have slope = −1) and are parallel. One might say that these are parallel investments. The line y = x has slope m = 1 and is seen to be perpendicular to the lines y = −x + 50,000 and y = −x + 100,000. The product of the slopes of the perpendicular lines is

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

m1 m2 = −1. This discussion leads to the following result concerning parallel and perpendicular lines.

Fig. 4-3

Pattern
Suppose two lines have slopes m1 and m2. If m1 = m2, then the lines are parallel. If m1m2 = −1, then the lines are perpendicular.

Linear Equations
Example 4-4: The last major league player to hit .400 was Ted
Williams in 1941. George Brett came very close to this illusive mark in 1980. After 400 at bats, he was hitting exactly .400 with only 2 weeks left in the season. At that point in the season, the following question was asked: “If Brett comes to bat 50 more times this season, how many hits must he get to have a season average of .400?” The batting average for a player is defined as the number of base

Linear Functions and Linear Equations

55

hits divided by the number of times at bat. After 400 at bats, Brett had 160 hits, because 160/400 = .400. If x represents the number of hits needed in the remaining 50 at bats, then the following equation results:
(160 + x)/450 = .400

This problem represents a linear equation. A linear equation is an equation of the form ax + b = c

where a, b, and c are numbers and x is a variable whose value is to be determined. The value of x that makes the equation true is called the solution of the linear equation. The solution of a linear equation utilizes two basic principles, the addition principle and the multiplication principle. These principles are as follows:

Addition principle: If the same number is added to (or subtracted from) each side of any equation, an equivalent equation results. Multiplication principle: If both sides of an equation are multiplied by (or divided by) the same nonzero number, an equivalent equation results. To see how these principles work, consider the solution to the above equation. First, both sides are multiplied by 450 to eliminate fractions.
450(160 + x)/450 = 450 (.400) 160 + x = 180

To complete the solution, 160 is subtracted from both sides to give x = 20. Brett would need 20 hits in his last 50 at bats to hit .400. As a historical baseball note, Brett ended the season with a .390 batting average. He won the batting title but missed the illusive .400 mark.

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Example 4-5: Suppose $10,000 is invested in a mutual fund and no additional money is placed in the fund and no reduction in the fund occurs for a 1-year period. If the value of the fund at the end of that 1-year period is $11,500, what effective interest has the fund earned for that 1-year period? Suppose x represents the effective interest rate earned by the fund. Then the original balance plus the interest earned over the 1-year period must equal $11,500. This gives the following linear equation: 10,000 + x(10,000) = 11,500. Using the addition principle, we have
10,000x = 11,500 − 10,000 10,000x = 1500

Using the multiplication principle for the equation 10,000x = 1500, we divide both sides by 10,000 to obtain x = 1500/10,000 = 0.15 or 15%. The fund earned 15% for the past year.

Short Cuts
The linear equations encountered in this chapter are easy to solve. They involve the use of only four fundamental arithmetic operations. The solution of the two linear equations in this chapter by the use of MAPLE software is now illustrated. The MAPLE commands required to solve the equations are as follows.
> solve((160+x)/450=.400); > solve(10000+x*(10000)=11500); 20. 3/20

Linear Functions and Linear Equations

57

To convert 3/20 to a percent, obtain the decimal equivalent and the multiply by 100 to obtain 15%. The availability of software to solve more complex equations in algebra has proven to be invaluable to many individuals in quantitative professions.

Don’t Forget
A linear function has an equation of the form y = mx + b. If (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) represent any two points on a straight line, then the slope may be found by using the following equation: m= y1 − y2 change in y y2 − y1 = = x1 − x2 change in x x2 − x1

The point where a line cuts the x-axis is called the x-intercept and the point where a line cuts the y-axis is called the y-intercept. Suppose two lines have slopes m1 and m2. If m1 = m2, then the lines are parallel. If m1m2 = −1, then the lines are perpendicular. An equation of the form ax + b = c is called a linear equation. The solution of a linear equation is found by using the addition or multiplication principle. The addition principle states that the same number may be added to or subtracted from each side of a linear equation to obtain an equivalent equation. The multiplication principle states that if both sides of a linear equation are multiplied by or divided by the same nonzero number, an equivalent equation is obtained.

Questions
Test Yourself 1. Executive Car Rental charges $20 per day plus 10 cents per mile to rent one of its midsize cars. If y represents the daily cost and x represents the number of miles driven, express y in terms of x.

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

2. Using the linear function from Problem 1, find the daily cost for 100 and 200 miles driven. Then use these two points on the line to compute the slope of the line. 3. Find the x-intercept, the y-intercept, and the slope of the straight line given by the equation y = 5x + 10. 4. Use the slope to determine if the following pairs of lines are parallel, perpendicular, or niether: (a) y = 5x − 2 and y = −0.2x + 3. (b) y = 12x − 6 and y = 12x + 6. (c) y = 2x + 7 and y = 3x − 7. 5. Suppose you inherit $10,000 and decide to invest $4000 in mutual funds and the remainder in stocks. How many shares of stocks valued at $50 per share could you purchase? Let x represent the number of shares and give the linear equation that you must solve. What is the solution to this linear equation?

Answers
1. y = 0.1x + 20. 2. y = 30 when x = 100 and y = 40 when x = 200; slope = (40 − 30)/(200 − 100) = 0.1. 3. x-intercept = (−2, 0), y-intercept = (0, 10), and slope = 5. 4. (a) perpendicular; (b) parallel; (c) neither. 5. 50x + 4000 = 10,000; solution is x = 120.

CHAPTER 5 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Linear Inequalities v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

➜ What is a linear inequality and what does the solution of a linear inequality mean? ➜ What are the addition and multiplication properties of inequalities? variables and what ➜ What is aoflinear inequality in twotwo variables mean?does the solution a linear inequality in the solution ➜ What is a graphical representation ofcan computer for a linear inequality in two variables and how algebra software be used to find the graphical representation?

v v v

59
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for Terms of Use.

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Linear Inequality in One Variable
Example 5-1: You can buy a box of floppy disks from a dealer on the Internet at Computer-supplies.com for $8 per box. The shipping cost is $10 per order, regardless of the number of boxes you order. You can buy the same box of floppies from a local computer store for $10.50 per box. How many boxes must you order before the cost of the purchase at Computer-supplies.com becomes less than from your local computer store? Consider first a solution that does not use algebra. Table 5-1 gives the cost for one through six boxes on both the Internet as well as from the local computer store. From the table, it is clear that when five or more boxes are purchased, it is cheaper to buy from the Internet dealer. Table 5-1 Comparing Costs
COMPUTER-SUPPLIES.COM COST COMPUTER STORE COST

NUMBER OF BOXES

1 2 3 4 5 6

8 + 10 = 18 2(8) + 10 = 26 3(8) + 10 = 34 4(8) + 10 = 42 5(8) + 10 = 50 6(8) + 10 = 58

10.50 2(10.50) = 21 3(10.50) = 31.50 4(10.50) = 42 5(10.50) = 52.50 6(10.50) = 63

An algebraic solution might proceed as follows. If we let x represent the number of boxes of floppies purchased, the cost for x boxes from the Internet dealer is 8x + 10. The cost of x boxes from the local computer store is 10.50x. We want to determine the value for x that makes the cost from the Internet dealer less than the cost from the local computer store. That is, we want to find the values of x for which the following is true:
8x + 10 < (is less than) 10.50x

The symbol < is used in algebra to stand for “is less than” and the symbol > is used to represent “is greater than” when read from left

Linear Inequalities

61

to right. To solve this inequality, first we add −8x to both sides of the inequality to obtain
8x + 10 − 8x < 10.50x − 8x or 10 < 2.50x

Now, both sides of the inequality 10 < 2.50x are divided by 2.50 to obtain 4 < x, which is the same as the inequality x > 4.
10/2.50 < 2.50x/2.50 = x or 4 cx + d is called a linear inequality. For the linear inequality 8x + 10 < 10.50x, we have a = 8, b = 10, c = 10.50, and d = 0. The set of all values of x for which the linear inequality is true is called the solution set for the inequality. The solution set for this inequality is x > 4.

Addition and Multiplication Properties of Inequalities
The addition property of inequality states that when the same number is added to or subtracted from both sides of an inequality, an equivalent inequality is obtained. Two inequalities are equivalent if they have the same solution set. The multiplication property of inequality states that both sides of an inequality may be multiplied or divided by the same positive number without changing the direction of the inequality, but that multiplying or dividing both sides by a negative number causes the reversal of the inequality symbol. Applying the multiplication property results in an equivalent inequality.

Danger!
Remember that when you multiply both sides of an inequality by the same positive number the sense of the inequality remains the same, but the sense is reversed if you multiply both sides by the same negative number.

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Example 5-2: Suppose you are trying to decide between two car rental companies. Company A charges $50.00 per day with unlimited mileage. Company B charges $30.00 per day and 10 cents per mile. For a 5-day rental, how many miles would you need to travel so that choice of Company A would result in a cheaper rental? Table 5-2 illustrates how you might analyze the problem.
Table 5-2 When Is It Cheaper to Rent from Company A for a 5-Day Period?
COST TO RENT FROM COMPANY A COST TO RENT FROM COMPANY B

5($50) = $250

5($30) + 0.10x = 150 + 0.10x Where x = the number of miles traveled

Company A is cheaper when 250 < 150 + 0.10x. Subtracting 150 from each side we obtain 100 < 0.10x.
250 − 150 < 150 + 0.10x − 150 or 100 < 0.10x

Dividing both sides by 0.10, we obtain 1000 < x or x > 1000.
100/0.10 < 0.10x/0.10 or 1000 < x

If you are likely to travel more than 1000 miles, it will be cheaper to rent from Company A. Note that the addition and multiplication principles were used to solve this problem.

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63

Linear Inequality in Two Variables
Example 5-3: Suppose that you are not sure about the number of days you will need a rental car or how many miles you will travel. Now, rather than one variable involved, there are two variables. Suppose y represents the number of days that the car is rented and x represents the number of miles traveled. Table 5-3 shows how the problem may be analyzed.
Table 5-3 When Is It Cheaper to Rent from Company A?
COST TO RENT FROM COMPANY B

COST TO RENT FROM COMPANY A

y($50) = $50y Where y = the number of days rented

y($30) + 0.10x = 30y + 0.10x Where x = the number of miles traveled

It is cheaper to rent from company A when 50y < 30y + 0.10x. Subtracting 30y from both sides of the inequality, we obtain 20y < 0.10x.
50y − 30y < 30y + 0.10x − 30y or 20y < 0.10x

Dividing both sides of this new equation by 20, we obtain y < 0.005x.
20y/20 < 0.10x/20 or y < 0.005x

The solution set for this inequality is best illustrated graphically. Figure 5-1 gives the solution to the problem.

Fig. 5-1

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

The line y = 0.005x divides the rectangle (which is in the first quadrant of the rectangular coordinate system) into two regions. For any point above the line y = 0.005x, y > 0.005x and for any point below the line y = 0.005x, y < 0.005x. Point A (400, 5) in Fig. 5-2, for example, is above the line y = 0.005x and y > 0.005x since 5 > 0.005(400) = 2. Point B (1500, 5) is below the line y = 0.005x and y < 0.005x since 5 < 0.005(1500) = 7.5.

Fig. 5-2 The solution set consists of all points below the line y = 0.005x in Fig. 5-1. This example illustrates a linear inequality in two variables. A linear inequality in two variables is an inequality containing two variables, each of which is raised to the first power. The solution to a linear inequality in two variables is a set of points in the rectangular coordinate system that makes the inequality true.

Short Cuts
If you are in a financial planning profession that occasionally requires the use of algebra to solve problems but do not wish to perform all the details to obtain the solution, software is often invaluable. Example 5-4 illustrates this.

Linear Inequalities

65

Graphical Representation of the Solution Set for a Linear Inequality in Two Variables
Example 5-4: Suppose you are planning to invest in two different stocks. Stock A costs $60 per share and stock B costs $15 per share. You also wish to invest between $15,000 and $30,000. What are the different possibilities for the number of shares of stock A and stock B that may be purchased to satisfy the investment requirements? If we let x represent the number of shares of stock A to be purchased and y represent the number of shares of stock B to be purchased, then the cost for the total shares is 60x + 15y. This total cost must be between $15,000 and $30,000. That is, 15,000 < 60x + 15y < 30,000. MAPLE may be used to plot the set of all possible solutions to this inequality. The MAPLE commands are as follows. inequal( { 15000 cx + d. The set of all x values for which a linear inequality is true is called the solution set for the inequality. Two linear inequalities are equivalent if they have the same solution set. The addition property of inequality states that when the same number is added to or subtracted from both sides of an inequality, an equivalent inequality is obtained. The multiplication property of inequality states that both sides of an inequality may be multiplied or divided by the same positive number without changing the direction of the inequality, but that multiplying or dividing both sides by a negative number causes the reversal of the inequality

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

symbol. An equivalent inequality results when the multiplication property is applied. A linear inequality in two variables is an inequality containing two variables, each of which is raised to the first power. The solution to a linear inequality in two variables is a set of points in the rectangular coordinate system that makes the inequality true.

Questions
1. Solve the following linear inequality in one variable for x. Test Yourself
2x + 10 > x + 15

2. Solve the following linear inequality in one variable for x.
6x − 15 < 2x + 5

3. Solve the following linear inequality in the variables x and y for y.
2x + 7y > 10 − x + 3y

4. Solve the following linear inequality in the variables x and y for y.
3x + 6y + 14 > 10 + 2x + 3y

5. Sketch the solution to the following inequality graphically.
4 < x + y < 6, for x and y between −10 and 10

Answers
1. x > 5. 2. x < 5. 3. y > (10 − 3x)/4. 4. y > (−x − 4)/3.

5.

CHAPTER 6 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Absolute Values v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

➜ What is the absolute value of a number? ➜ What does the graph of the absolute value function look like? ➜ How do I solve equations involving the absolute value function? ➜ How do I solve inequalities involving the absolute value function? solve equations ➜ How can I use MAPLE to function? or inequalities that involve the absolute value

v v v

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Signed Numbers
Table 6-1 gives information concerning the stocks for three companies listed in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Table 6-1
52-WEEK HIGH

Stock Price Information for Three Stocks
52-WEEK LOW

STOCK

LAST

CHANGE

761⁄2 8815⁄16 18715⁄16

483⁄8 535⁄8 955⁄8

AT&T Coca-Cola IBM

75 687⁄8 180

+7⁄16 −9⁄16 +23⁄4

Example 6-1: Table 6-1 gives the high for the past year, the low for the past year, the name of the stock, the price per share at yesterday’s closing, and the change from the day before. For Coca-Cola, 15 the maximum price per share during the past year was 88 = 16 5 $88.9375, the minimum during the past year was 53 = $53.625, 8 7 the cost at closing yesterday was 68 = $68.875, and the cost per 8 7 9 share the day before yesterday was 68 − (− ) = 68.875 + 0.5625 = 8 16 $69.4375. The numbers in the column labeled Change are signed numbers. A thorough discussion of signed numbers is found in Chapter 1. A positive change means the stock increased in value from the previous day and a negative change means that the stock decreased in value from the previous day.

Absolute Value of a Signed Number
If we are told that the change in a stock was $2 and no sign or direction is given for the change, then we know that the magnitude or

Absolute Values

71

absolute value of the change was $2, but we do not know if it went up or down in value. The absolute value of a number gives its magnitude but not its direction. If the change in the value of the stock is given as +2, we know that it went up by $2 and if the change is given as −2, we know that it went down $2. The absolute value of +2 is 2 and the absolute value of −2 is also 2. Remember the absolute value gives the magnitude but not the direction. The absolute value of any quantity x is written as |x| and is defined as follows:
|x| = −x x if if x 0, it has two solutions as in Examples 6-2 and 6-4.

Short Cuts
The solution to the equation |x − 45| = 3 may also be found by the use of MAPLE. The solution is obtained by using the solve command as follows: solve( abs(x - 45) = 3); 42, 48

The MAPLE solutions to the equations |3x − 48| = 0 and |x − 65| = −3 are as follows: solve( abs(3*x - 48) = 0 ); 16 solve( abs(x - 65) = -3 ); No answer is given, since it has no solutions.

Absolute Values

77

Note that the solution given for |3x − 48| = 0 is 16. We see that this solution is correct since |3(16) − 48| = |48 − 48| = 0. Also, it is clear that |x − 65| = −3 has no solutions because the absolute value of anything is always zero or positive and therefore cannot equal −3.

Inequalities Involving Absolute Values
Table 6-2 gives some of the possible changes in stock prices between −1 and +1, along with their absolute values. Notice that whereas the changes range between −1 and +1, their absolute values range between 0 and +1. This implies that
|change| < 1 is equivalent to −1 < change < 1

In general, the following is true for an absolute value inequality of the form |ax + b| < c.
|ax + b| < c is equivalent to −c < ax + b < c

Example 6-5: In order that a pair of gears fit properly, it is necessary that the diameter of each gear deviate from 4 inches by less than 0.025 inches. That is, the diameter x needs to satisfy the following absolute inequality: |x − 4| < 0.025. We wish to find the acceptable range of diameters.
|x − 4| < 0.025 is equivalent to −0.025 < x − 4 < 0.025

Using the additive property of inequalities, discussed in Chapter 5, we add 4 to each part of the inequality to obtain the solution 3.975 < x < 4.025. The solution using MAPLE is: solve(abs(x-4) 0.025. To see that these are equivalent, solve each part separately as follows.Add 4 to both sides of the two expressions connected by or to obtain x < 4 − 0.025 = 3.975 or x > 4 + 0.025 = 4.025. In general, the following is true for an absolute value inequality of the form |ax + b| > c.
|ax + b| > c is equivalent to ax + b < −c or ax + b > c

Example 6-6: USA Today lists the leading gainers and the leading losers for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Suppose, we want to list the stock whose absolute percent change exceeds 20%. We may express this using algebra as follows. Let x be the percent change for a stock listed in the NYSE. Then we are interested in those stocks for which |x| > 20%. The solution to this absolute inequality is x < −20% or x > 20%. Those stocks that showed a loss and for which the percent change exceeded 20% would be the leading losers and those that showed a gain for which the percent change exceeded 20% would be the leading gainers.

Short Cuts
The MAPLE solutions of |x − 4| > 0.025 and |x| > 20% are as follows: solve( abs(x -4) > 0.025); RealRange(Open(4.025000000), infinity), RealRange(infinity, Open(3.975)) solve( abs(x) > 20); RealRange(Open(20), infinity), RealRange(-infinity, Open(-20))

Absolute Values

79

The MAPLE solution expressed as RealRange(Open(20), infinity) means that the leading gainers would consist of all those stocks with a percent gain of more than 20%. The term Open means we would not include one with exactly 20% gain. The solution RealRange(−infinity, Open(−20)) means the leading losers would be those with a 20% loss or more.

Danger!
A caution concerning the use of software is in order at this point. The MAPLE solution to the equation |x − 4| > 0.025 is given as RealRange(−infinity, Open(3.975)) allows for negative solutions for x. But recall that x represents the diameters of the gears and cannot be negative. This solution should be modified to be (0, Open(3.975)) because negative diameters are not possible.

Don’t Forget
Numbers written with a positive or a negative sign are called signed numbers. They indicate magnitude as well as direction. The absolute value of a number is always equal to or greater than zero. The definition is given as follows:
|x| = −x x if if x 0. The absolute value inequality |ax + b| < c is equivalent to −c < ax + b < c. The absolute value inequality |ax + b| > c is equivalent to ax + b < −c or ax + b > c.

80
Questions
Test Yourself

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

1. For the IBM and AT&T stock information given in Table 6-1, find the cost per share for the day before yesterday. 2. The results of a poll recently reported that 80% of the students in grades 6 through 12 had experienced some form of bullying. The margin of error was reported as 3%. What are the statistical limits for the percentage of all students in grades 6 through 12 who have experienced some form of bullying? 3. Suppose your scores in four rounds of golf were 85, 90, 95, and 90. What is the average deviation for these four rounds? 4. Find all solutions to the following equations: (a) |x + 4| = 1. (b) |x + 4| = 0. (c) |x + 4| = −1. 5. Find all solutions to |x + 4| < 1. 6. Find all solutions to |x + 4| > 1.

Answers
1 9 1. For IBM, cost = 177 . For AT&T, cost = 74 . 4 16 2. 77 to 83% 3. 2.5 4. (a) −3 and −5 5. −5 < x < −3. 6. x < −5 or x > −3. (b) −4 (c) No solutions

CHAPTER 7 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Systems of Linear Equations v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

a system of ➜ Whatofissuch a systemlinear equations and what does the solution mean? ➜ How do I solve a system of linear equations graphically? ➜ What is the addition/subtraction method for solving a system of linear equations? ➜ What is linear programming? ➜ How do I solve a system of three equations in three unknowns? ➜ What is multiple regression and what algebra techniques does it use? ➜ How is MAPLE used to solve more complex systems of equations?

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System of Two Equations in Two Unknowns
Example 7-1: Suppose your car’s radiator holds 12 quarts. You drain the system and want to mix your 100% antifreeze coolant with water to obtain a 60% antifreeze mixture, because the instructions indicate that this mixture will protect your engine down to 20 degrees below zero and that is all the protection you will need. You need to determine how much water and pure antifreeze to mix to form a 60% mixture. Represent the amount of water needed by x and the amount of pure antifreeze needed by y. Because the total capacity of the radiator is 12 quarts, x + y must equal 12. x + y = 12

In addition to this equation, we also know that the 12 quarts mixture must contain 12(0.60) = 7.2 quarts of antifreeze because it is to be a 60% mixture. The 7.2 quarts must come from the y quarts of antifreeze, because the water does not supply any antifreeze. y = 7.2

These two equations form a system of equations and we express the system as follows: x + y = 12 y = 7.2

Solution to a System of Two Equations in Two Unknowns
The simplest method of solution to this system of two equations in two unknowns is the method of substitution. Simply substitute the value of y from the second equation into the first equation to obtain x + 7.2 = 12

Now, subtract 7.2 from both sides to obtain x = 12 − 7.2 = 4.8

Systems of Linear Equations

83

Thus to obtain a 60% mixture of antifreeze, mix 7.2 quarts of pure antifreeze with 4.8 quarts of water. The solution to the system of two equations in two unknowns is the point (x, y) = (4.8, 7.2). A solution to a system of two equations in two unknowns is a pair of values for which both equations are true.

Short Cuts
MAPLE can be used to solve systems of equations. The MAPLE command for the solution to the above system is as follows.
Solve ({x+y=12,y=7.2}, {x, y}); {y = 7.2, x = 4.8}

Graphical Solution to a System of Two Equations in Two Unknowns
A graphical solution of two linear equations in two unknowns is obtained by plotting the graphs of both equations on the same coordinate system and noting where the lines intersect. This is shown in Fig. 7-1. This MAPLE plot is produced by the following command.

Fig. 7-1

84

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

plot([12-x,7.2],x=0..12,labels=["Quarts of Water", "Quarts of Antifreeze"]);

Notice that the plotted lines x + y = 12 and y = 7.2 intersect at the point (4.8, 7.2). The algebraic technique of solving two equations in two unknowns is an extremely useful technique for solving many real-world problems. This technique will now be illustrated by the use of several examples.

Example 7-2: Suppose you have just inherited $2500 and would like to invest some in stocks and some in mutual funds. A share of ACME Computer stock sells for $50 per share and a unit of Science/Technology mutual funds sells for $75 per unit. If you wish to purchase a total of 40 shares/units, how many shares of ACME and how many units of Science/Technology (S/T) can you buy with an investment of $2500? A solution not using algebra is shown in Table 7-1. Note from the table that the solution to the problem is to buy 20 shares of ACME Computer stock and 20 units of Science/Technology mutual funds. This will result in the total utilization of the $2500 and a total of 40 units/shares.

Systems of Linear Equations

85

Table 7-1 Trial and Error Procedure to Find Solution to Investment Problem
SHARES OF ACME (x) UNITS OF S/T (y) 50x + 75y COST($) SHARES OF ACME (x) UNITS OF S/T (y) 50x + 75y COST($)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20

3000 2975 2950 2925 2900 2875 2850 2825 2800 2775 2750 2725 2700 2675 2650 2625 2600 2575 2550 2525 2500

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

2475 2450 2425 2400 2375 2350 2325 2300 2275 2250 2225 2200 2175 2150 2125 2100 2075 2050 2025 2000

The algebraic solution to this problem would proceed as follows. Suppose x and y are defined as in Table 7-1. Because a total of 40 shares is to be purchased, x + y = 40

Also, because the total cost is $2500,
50x + 75y = 2500

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

We have the following system of two equations in two unknowns. x + y = 40 50x + 75y = 2500

Addition/Subtraction Method for Solving a System of Equations
This system can be solved by the previously discussed methods of substitution or by graphing. You are encouraged to use both methods to solve this system. The addition/subtraction method to solve the system proceeds as follows. Suppose that we multiply the equation x + y = 40 on both sides by 50 to obtain
50(x + y) = 50(40) or 50x + 50y = 2000

Next we subtract this equation from the equation 50x + 75y = 2500 as follows.
50x + 75y = 2500 −50x − 50y = 2000 25y = 500

Solving for y, we have y = 500/25 = 20. Substituting this result into x + y = 40, we have x + 20 = 40 or x = 20

This is the same result as obtained from Table 7-1.

Pattern
The addition/subtraction method for solving simultaneous equations is summarized as follows: Multiply one or both of the equations by suitable numbers to obtain the same absolute value for the coefficient of either variable. Then add or subtract the equations to eliminate one of the variables. Solve the resulting equation that has only one variable for that vari-

Systems of Linear Equations

87

able. Substitute the value obtained into either of the original equations and solve for the remaining variable. This is one of many situations in algebra where an example is worth a thousand words. The discussion in the context of an example is much easier to understand than trying to understand a verbal discussion of the method. In all the examples discussed so far in this chapter, the system of linear equations has a unique solution. That is, there is only one point, (x, y), for which both equations are true. Or, if both lines are plotted on a coordinate system, they are found to pass through a common point as in Fig. 7-1. This common point is the solution to the system. When the system has a single unique solution, the system of equations is said to be consistent. Sometimes a system of equations has no solutions. Such a system is said to be inconsistent. When a system has an infinite number of solutions, the system is said to be dependent. Although inconsistent or dependent systems rarely occur when using algebra to solve real-world problems, they are discussed because it is possible that such systems might be encountered. An example of each will now be discussed.

Example 7-3: Consider the following system:
A plot of this system is shown in Fig. 7-2.

x − y = 50 . 5x − 5y = 250

Fig. 7-2

88

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

That’s right, when the two lines are plotted, it is found that they are in fact the same set of points. So any solution to one is automatically a solution to the other. The point with x = 250 and y = 200 is a solution since 250 − 200 = 50. But it is a solution to the other equation also, since 5(250) − 5(200) = 1250 − 1000 = 250. The point (75, 25) is a solution to both equations also, since 75 − 25 = 50 and 5(75) − 5(25) = 250.There are an infinite number of solutions to this system. Suppose we use the addition/subtraction method to solve the system and therefore multiply the equation x − y = 50 by 5 to obtain 5x − 5y = 250 and subtract it from the other equation, we obtain
5x − 5y = 250 −5x + 5y = −250 0=0

Quick Tip
If both variables are eliminated when a system of linear equations is solved, there are infinitely many solutions if the resulting statement (0 = 0) is true. We call such a system a dependent system. 4x − 2y = 100 . A plot of 2x − y = 25

Example 7-4: Next, consider the system this system is shown in Fig. 7-3.

Fig. 7-3

Systems of Linear Equations

89

In this case, the lines are parallel and have no points in common. There are no solutions. If the equation 2x − y = 25 is multiplied by 2, we obtain 4x − 2y = 50. When this equation is subtracted from the equation 4x − 2y = 100, we obtain 0 = 50 as follows.
4x − 2y = 100 4x − 2y = 50 0 = 50

Quick Tip
If both variables are eliminated when a system of linear equations is solved, there is no solution if the resulting statement (such as 0 = 50) is false. We call such a system an inconsistent system.

Linear Programming

Example 7-5: In her financial portfolio, Lana plans to invest up to
$30,000 in corporate and municipal bonds combined. The corporate bond investment requires at least $5000 and Lana does not wish to invest more than $10,000 in corporate bonds. She wants to invest between $10,000 and $25,000 in municipal bonds. The corporate bonds pay 6.5% simple interest per year and the municipal bonds pay 5.5% simple interest per year. What investment allocation will maximize her interest income as well as satisfy the stated constraints?

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If the amount invested in corporate bonds (in thousands) is represented by x and the amount invested in municipal bonds (in thousands) by y, then the above discussion leads to the following constraints. x + y ≤ 30 5 ≤ x ≤ 10 10 ≤ y ≤ 25

Short Cuts
The region described by these inequalities may be plotted on graph paper or by the using the following MAPLE statements. The region is shown in gray in Fig. 7-4.

Fig. 7-4
> with(plots); > inequal( { x+y=5,x=10,y optionsfeasible=(color=gray), > optionsexcluded=(color=white),labels=["x=corporate bonds","y=municipal bonds"]);

Systems of Linear Equations

91

The interest earned (in thousands) for any point in this region is given by the expression
I = 0.065x + 0.055y

The function I is called the objective function. The corners of the region are listed in Table 7-2. We wish to find the maximum value of I for the points in the region of possible solutions. An area of mathematics called linear programming may provide an answer to this optimization problem. It can be shown that under certain conditions, the objective function takes on its maximum and minimum values at the vertices or corners of the region. The vertices of the region of possible solutions and the value of the objective function at these points are shown in Table 7-2. The maximum interest income is $1750 and it occurs when $10,000 is invested in corporate bonds and $20,000 is invested in municipal bonds. The minimum interest income is $875 and it occurs when $5000 is invested in corporate bonds and $10,000 in municipal bonds. Table 7-2 Corners of the Region of Possible Solutions
CORNER I = 0.065x + 0.055y

(5,10) (5,25) (10,20) (10,10)

0.875 thousand 1.700 thousand 1.750 thousand 1.200 thousand

If the interest rates for the two types of bonds were reversed, Table 7-3 gives the values of the objective function at the corners of the polygon in Table 7-3 Corners of the Region of Possible Solutions
CORNER I = 0.055x + 0.065y

(5,10) (5,25) (10,20) (10,10)

0.925 thousand 1.900 thousand 1.850 thousand 1.200 thousand

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Fig. 7-4. The maximum now occurs when $5000 is invested in corporate bonds and $25,000 is invested in municipal bonds.

Quick Tip
Don’t forget that in many linear programming problems, the optimum solution, subject to the stated constraints, occurs at a corner of the solution region. This is true if the solution region is a convex polygon, that is a polygon with no indentations.

System of Three Equations in Three Unknowns
Example 7-6: Books Galore sells books and has outlets across the country. Their advertising budget equals $100 million. The budgeted amount is divided among TV advertising, newspaper advertising, and website expenses on the Internet. The marketing department suggests that the amount spent on Internet expenses exceed twice the sum spent on TV and newspaper advertising by $10 million. In addition, the amount spent on TV advertising should be twice that spent on newspaper advertising. In order to determine how to divide the $100 million to accomplish the recommendations of the marketing department, we define the following variables. x = the amount to be spent on newspaper advertising y = the amount to be spent on TV advertising z = the amount to be spent on website expenses on the Internet

The fact that the $100 million is to be divided among the three sources is expressed as x + y + z = 100

Systems of Linear Equations

93

The requirement that the amount spent on Internet expenses exceed twice the sum spent on TV and newspaper advertising by $10 million is expressed as z = 2(x + y) + 10 or − 2x − 2y + z = 10

The requirement that the amount spent on TV advertising should be twice that spent on newspaper advertising is expressed as y = 2x

The system of three equations in three unknowns is expressed as follows: x + y + z = 100 −2x − 2y + z = 10 y = 2x

To solve this system, first we substitute 2x for y in both the first and second equation in the system to obtain the following system of two equations in two unknowns.
3x + z = 100 −6x + z = 10

To solve this reduced system, subtract the second equation from the first to obtain:
3x + z = 100 6x − z = −10 9x = 90 or x = $10 million

Substitute x = 10 into y = 2x to obtain y = 2(10) = $20 million. Finally, substituting these values in the equation x + y + z = 100, and then solving for z, we find z = 100 − 10 − 20 = 70

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

It is easy to see that the solution x = 10, y = 20, and z = 70 satisfies the system of three equation in three unknowns.

Short Cuts
The MAPLE solution to this system proceeds as follows.
➢ solve( {x+y+z=100, -2*x-2*y+z=10, y = 2*x},{x,y,z} ); {x = 10, z = 70, y = 20}

Systems of Equations and Multiple Regression
A statistical technique called multiple regression is often used to model real-world phenomena. Blood pressure might be modeled by its relationship to other variables such as age, weight, type A personality measure, potassium to sodium ratio, and hours spent per week in contemplative meditation. These models require that systems of linear equations be solved. The blood pressure example would require that after data relating blood pressure and the other five variables were collected that a system of six equations in six unknowns be solved. This can be extremely challenging if performed by hand. Fortunately, such problems are solved by the use of software today. To see the power of such software consider the system of equations given in Example 7-7.

Example 7-7: Consider the following MAPLE solution to the given system of equations. a + b + c + d + e = 50 a + b + c − 2d + e = 5 9a + b + c + d − e = 10 a − b − c − d + e = −10 3a + 2b − 3c + 4d − 6e = −80

Systems of Linear Equations

95

> solve({a+b+c+d+e=50,a+b+c-2*d+e=5,9*a+b+c+d-e=10,a-bc-d+e=-10,3*a+2*b-3*c+4*d-6*e=-80},{a,b,c,d,e}); {d = 15, e = 20, c = 10, b = 5, a = 0}

You can check the solution and verify that it satisfies all five equations. If you have several hours with nothing to do, you could try solving the system by elimination and gain a true appreciation for algebra software.

Don’t Forget
If we consider two linear equations together, they form a system of linear equations. A point (a, b) is a solution to a system of linear equations if the point (a,b) satisfies both equations. In the substitution method for solving a system of linear equations, one of the equations is solved for x or y, and then the value is substituted into the other equation. The resulting equation in one variable is then solved and that value is substituted into either original equation. Another equation in one variable is obtained and the solution is then completed. In the graphical method for solving a system of linear equations, the two straight lines are plotted on a rectangular coordinate system and the point of intersection of the two lines is the solution to the system. In the addition/subtraction method for solving a system of linear equations, one or both of the equations are multiplied by suitable numbers to obtain the same absolute value for the coefficient of one of the variables. Then add or subtract the equations to eliminate one of the variables. Solve the resulting equation that has only one variable for that variable. Substitute the value obtained into either of the original equations and solve for the remaining variable. If a system of linear equations has no solutions, it is said to be an inconsistent system. If the system has only one solution, it is said to be a consistent system. If the system has an infinite number of solutions, it is said to be a dependent system.

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The graph of an inconsistent system of linear equations consists of two parallel lines, the graph of a consistent system consists of two lines that meet in a single point, and the graph of a dependent system of linear equations is a single line. Linear programming techniques are used to maximize or minimize some objective function over a region that is determined by a system of multiple inequalities.

Questions
Test Yourself 1. A company plans to spend $150,000 on advertising expenses associated with radio, television, and newspaper commercials. Their total budget amount for advertising is $225,000. Their only other source of advertising is the Internet. Let x represent the amount allocated to radio, television, and newspaper commercials and let y represent the amount to be spent for Internet advertising. Express the above scenario in the form of two equations in two unknowns and give the solution to the system. 2. How many ounces of 30% acid solution and 90% acid solution must be mixed to obtain 50 ounces of 50% acid solution? Let x represent the amount of 30% acid solution and let y represent the amount of 90% acid solution. Give the two equations that describe this scenario and the solution to the system. 3. Classify each of the following systems as consistent, inconsistent, or dependent. For the consistent system, give the solution. (a) (b) (c) 2x − 4y = 13. 4x − 8y = 26. 2x − 4y = 13. 4x − 8y = 17. x + 2y = 12. x − 3y = −13.

4. ACE manufacturing produces music compact discs as well as data compact discs. A shipment of music compact discs requires 2 hours on machine A and 3 hours on machine B. A shipment of

Systems of Linear Equations

97

data compact discs requires 3 hours on machine A and 1 hour on machine B. During a given week, machine A can be used to make these products in, at most, 24 hours and machine B can be used to make these products in, at most, 15 hours. The company makes profits of $4 thousand on a box of music compact discs and $3 thousand on a box of data compact discs. How many of each product must be produced to maximize weekly profits? 5. Find the solution to the following system of three equations in three unknowns. x + y + z = 60 2x − y + z = 30 x+y−z=0

6. Verify that a = 5, b = 10, c = 15, d = 20 is a solution to the following system of four equations in four unknowns. a − b − c − d = −40 a + 2b + d = 45 a + b − c − d = −20 a + 2b + 3c + 4d = 150

Answers
1. x = 150,000. x + y = 225,000. x = 150,000 2. and y = 75,000. x + y = 50. 0.3x + 0.9y = 25. x = 33.3 and y = 16.7. (b) inconsistent; (c) consistent, x = 2, y = 5.

3. (a) dependent;

4. Three shipments of music compact discs, six shipments of data compact discs, profit = $30,000. 5. x = 10, y = 20, and z = 30.

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CHAPTER 8 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Polynomials v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

➜ What is a polynomial? ➜ How do I add, subtract, multiply, and divide polynomials? ➜ How do solve polynomial equations? can I use MAPLE to solve more complicated polyno➜ Howequations? mial ➜ How can I use MAPLE, Minitab, and Excel to graph polynomials?

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Polynomial in One Variable

Example 8-1: Custom Boxes Inc. manufactures custom-made boxes. One customer requires that the length equal the width plus 5 and that the height equal the width plus 2, for several different widths. If we let x represent the width, then the length needs to equal x + 5, and the height needs to equal x + 2. Summarizing, we have the following expressions for the width, length, and height. width = x length = x + 5 and height = x + 2

Because the volume of the box is width times length times height, a formula for the volume V is
V = (x)(x + 5)(x + 2) = x3 + 7x2 + 10x

This expression for the volume is arrived at in the following way. First (x + 5)(x + 2) is found using the FOIL method that is described in Chapter 1.
(x + 5)(x + 2) = x2 + 7x + 10

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101

Now the expression x2 + 7x + 10 is multiplied by x to obtain the volume.
V = x3 + 7x2 + 10x

Table 8-1 gives information concerning some of the most common boxes made for this customer.

Table 8-1
WIDTH (x)

Some of the Boxes Made by Custom Boxes Inc.
LENGTH (x + 5) HEIGHT (x + 2) x3 + 7x2 + 10x

VOLUME

2 4 6 8 10

7 9 11 13 15

4 6 8 10 12

2(7)(4) = 56 4(9)(6) = 216 6(11)(8) = 528 8(13)(10) = 1040 10(15)(12) = 1800

56 216 528 1040 1800

Note that in Table 8-1 the volume can be found by multiplying the width times the length times the height, or by using the equation V = x3 + 7x2 + 10x, where x is the width of the box. The volume of the 2 × 7 × 4 box is 2(7)(4) = 56 or (2)3 + 7(2)2 + 10(2) = 8 + 28 + 20 = 56. This is an example of a third-degree polynomial in one variable. The letter x is used to represent the width of a given box and is called the variable in the polynomial. This polynomial has three terms. A term is a number or the product of a number and a variable raised to a whole-number power. The numerical part of a term is called the coefficient. The general definition of a polynomial is a term or some combination of sums and/or differences of terms. Polynomials will never contain terms with variables having negative exponents and there will never be variables in the denominator of a term. A polynomial with only one variable is called a polynomial in one variable. A polynomial with more than one variable is called a polynomial in several variables. We shall discuss only polynomials in one variable.

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A polynomial containing one term is called a monomial. A polynomial containing two terms is called a binomial. A polynomial containing three terms is called a trinomial. The degree of a term in one variable is the exponent of the variable. The degree of a polynomial is the largest degree of any term in the polynomial. Table 8-2 gives some laws of exponents that apply when working with polynomials. Table 8-2 Some Laws of Exponents x π 0 AND a AND b INTEGERS

xa xb (xa)b xa/xb x−a x0

xa + b xab xa − b 1/xa 1

The expression for the volume of the boxes given earlier uses the laws of exponents given in Table 8-2 as well as the distributive law.

Addition and Subtraction of Polynomials

Polynomials

103

another custom box with dimensions x × (x + 1) × (x + 4). The volume of this tall box is given by x(x + 1)(x + 4) = x3 + 5x2 + 4x. As we saw earlier, the volume of the long box is x3 + 7x2 + 10x. The long box has more volume than the tall box. The difference is (x3 + 7x2 + 10x) − (x3 + 5x2 + 4x). The difference is found as follows: x3 + 7x2 + 10x −x3 − 5x2 − 4x 2x2 + 6x

Example 8-2: Suppose that Custom Boxes Inc. also produces

The total volume of a long box plus a tall box is found by adding the two volumes. The sum is (x3 + 7x2 + 10x) + (x3 + 5x2 + 4x). The sum is found as follows: x3 + 7x2 + 10x x3 + 5x2 + 4x 2x3 + 12x2 + 14x

This discussion introduces us to the addition and subtraction of polynomials. Table 8-3 gives the volumes for five different tall and five corresponding long boxes having the same width as well as their sums and differences. Note that the expressions 2x2 + 6x and 2x3 + 12x2 + 14x do indeed give the difference and sum of the volumes.

Pattern
To add two polynomials, add like terms. In Example 8-2, the like terms x3 and x3 were added to obtain 2x3, the like terms 7x2 and 5x2 were added to obtain 12x2, and the like terms 10x and 4x were added to obtain 14x. The result is then written as 2x3 + 12x2 + 14x. To subtract two polynomials, change the signs of the terms in the polynomial being subtracted and then add like terms.

Table 8-3
LONG BOX VOLUME TALL BOX VOLUME DIFFERENCE

Sums and Differences of Polynomials
2x2 + 6x SUM 2x3 + 12x2 + 14x

WIDTH

104
10(15)(12) = 1800 10(11)(14) = 1540 260

2 4 6 8

2(7)(4) = 56 4(9)(6) = 216 6(11)(8) = 528 8(13)(10) = 1040 2(3)(6) = 36 4(5)(8) = 160 6(7)(10) = 420 8(9)(12) = 864 20 56 108 176

20 56 108 176 260

92 376 948 1904 3340

92 376 948 1904 3340

10

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Quick Tip
When concepts like polynomials are discussed in most algebra books, they are treated in a rather abstract way. If the algebra student will keep in mind that polynomials actually represent some real-world entity such as the volume of a box, it makes the concept easier to understand. The sum of two polynomials represents the total volume of two boxes and the difference in two polynomials represents how much more volume one box has than another.

Multiplication of Polynomials
Example 8-3: Usedcars.com is an Internet location that sells used cars. Table 8-4 gives inventory information for this dealer. The first row of the table tells us that Usedcars.com has 19.6(100) = 1960 cars that are 1 year old. The average cost is 10.05(1000) = $10,050 per car for the 1-year-old cars. The total value of all the 1-year-old cars is 196.98(100,000) or $19,698,000. The rows for cars 2, 3, 4, and 5 years old are interpreted similarly.
Table 8-4 Inventory Information for Usedcars.com
AVERAGE VALUE ($1000s) TOTAL VALUE ($100,000)

AGE (YEARS)

NUMBER (100s)

1 2 3 4 5

19.6 15.8 12.2 9.4 8.0

10.05 8.20 6.45 4.80 3.25

19.6(10.05) = 196.98 15.8(8.20) = 129.56 12.2(6.45) = 78.69 9.4(4.80) = 45.12 8.0(3.25) = 26.00

In this table, if the age column is represented by x, then the number of cars column is related to x by the following polynomial:
Number = 0.1x3 − 0.5x2 − 3.00x + 23.0

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The average value column is related to x by the following polynomial:
Average value = 0.05x2 − 2x + 12

To see clearly what this means, substitute x = 1 in the polynomial that represents number and note that you obtain 19.6, the value given in the table.
Number = 0.1(1)3 − 0.5(1)2 − 3.00(1) + 23.0 = 19.6

Verify the values in the Number column of Table 8-4 for x = 2, 3, 4, and 5 substituted into the polynomial. Substitute x = 4 in the polynomial that represents average value to obtain the following:
Average value = 0.05(4)2 − 2(4) + 12 = 4.80

The Total Value column should equal to the product of these two polynomials. That is,
Total value = (0.1x3 − 0.5x2 − 3.00x + 23.0)(0.05x2 − 2x + 12)

We shall now show how to multiply these two polynomials.

Pattern
Step 1: Multiply the terms along the arrows.
+0.1x3 0.05x2 −0.5x2 −2x −3.00x 12 23.0

0.005x5 - 0.025x4 - 0.15x3 + 1.15x2

Step 2: Multiply the terms along the arrows.
+0.1x3 0.05x2 −0.5x2 −2x -0.2x 4 + x 3 + 6x 2 - 46x −3.00x 12 23.0

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Step 3: Multiply the terms along the arrows.
+0.1x 3 0.05x 2 −0.5x 2 −2x 1.2x 3 - 6x 2 - 36x + 276 −3.00x 12 23.0

Step 4: Add the expressions shown in steps 1, 2, and 3 and then combine like terms.
0.005x 5 - 0.025x 4 - 0.15x 3 + 1.15x 2 - 0.2x 4 + x 3 + 6x 2 - 46x + 1.2x 3 - 6x 2 - 36x + 276 Total value = 0.005x 5 - 0.225x 4 + 2.05x 3 + 1.15x 2 - 82x + 276

Table 8-5 shows the polynomial representation of Table 8-4. If the x value from the Age column is substituted into the polynomials given in columns 2, 3, and 4, the numerical values are obtained. Table 8-5 is the polynomial representation of Table 8-4. Table 8-5 Polynomial Representation for Table 8-4
NUMBER = 0.1x3 - 0.5x2 - 3.00x + 23.0 AVERAGE VALUE = 0.05x2 - 2x + 12 TOTAL VALUE = 0.005x5 - 0.225x4 + 2.05x3 + 1.15x2 - 82x + 276

AGE, x

1 2 3 4 5

19.6 15.8 12.2 9.4 8.0

10.05 8.20 6.45 4.80 3.25

196.98 129.56 78.69 45.12 26.00

Quick Tip
In the discussion of polynomial multiplication, we saw that the numbers of cars of different ages could be represented as a polynomial, the average values could be represented by a polynomial, and the total value could be represented by the product of these two polynomials.

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Division of Polynomials
Example 8-4: In Example 8-1, we found that a box with width = x, length = x + 5, and height = x + 2, had volume = x3 + 7x2 + 10x. The area of the base of this box is x(x + 5) = x2 + 5x. If the volume is divided by the height, the area of the base is obtained. That is,
(x3 + 7x2 + 10x)/(x + 2) = x2 + 5x

This is now demonstrated by the use of polynomial division.

Step 1: Divide the first term of the dividend by the first term of the quotient to obtain x2. That is, x2 x + 2 x3 + 7x2 + 10x

x3 = x 2. x

Step 2: Multiply the entire divisor by the quotient. That is, x2(x +
2) = x3 + 2x2 x2 x + 2 x3 + 7x2 + 10x x3 + 2x2

Step 3: Subtract this product from the dividend. To subtract a polynomial, add its negative and then bring down the next term from the dividend. x2 x + 2 x3 + 7x2 + 10x x3 + 2x2 5x2 + 10x

Step 4: Divide the first term of the new dividend by the first term of the divisor to obtain 5x. That is, x2 + 5x x + 2 x3 + 7x2 + 10x x3 + 2x2 5x2 + 10x

5x2 = 5x. x

Step 5: Multiply the entire divisor by the second term of the quotient. Polynomials

109 x2 + 5x x + 2 x3 + 7x2 + 10x x3 + 2x2 5x2 + 10x 5x2 + 10x

Step 6: Subtract this product from the new dividend. x2 + 5x x + 2 x3 + 7x2 + 10x x3 + 2x2 5x2 + 10x 5x2 + 10x Remainder = 0

Short Cuts
The power and speed of computer algebra software packages is seen clearly when used to perform polynomial division. Consider the following MAPLE solution to Example 8-4. The command simplify may be used to perform the polynomial division.
> simplify((x^3 + 7*x^2 + 10*x)/(x + 2)); x2 + 5x

Polynomial Equations
Example 8-5: The area of the base of the box in Example 8-4 is x2 + 5x. Suppose the customer requires a box with base area equal to 6 square units.This requirement results in the following equation: x2 + 5x = 6 or x2 + 5x − 6 = 0

This equation is referred to as a second-degree polynomial equation in x. There are two values of x for which this equation is true.

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They are called the roots of the polynomial. One approach to solving this equation is to try to express x2 + 5x − 6 in factored form. Using the factoring technique discussed in Chapter 1, we find that x2 + 5x − 6 = (x − 1)(x + 6)

Our second-degree polynomial x2 + 5x − 6 = 0 may be replaced by
(x − 1)(x + 6) = 0

This means that either the factor x − 1 = 0 or the factor x + 6 = 0. Setting these factors equal to zero and solving for x we find that x = −6 or 1. Since x represents the width and must be a positive measurement, the solution is x = 1.

Example 8-6: In Example 8-1 a custom-made box with width = x, length = x + 5, height = x + 2, and volume = x3 + 7x2 + 10x was discussed. Suppose we also require that the volume of the box be equal to 56 cubic units. What dimensions would be needed to meet this requirement? This requirement gives the following equation. x3 + 7x2 + 10x = 56 or x3 + 7x2 + 10x − 56 = 0

This equation is called a third-degree polynomial equation in x. It is much more difficult to express a third-degree polynomial in factored form than a second-degree polynomial equation. The algebraic methods for finding the roots for such polynomials are beyond the scope of this book.

Short Cuts
However, the solutions are easily found using computer algebra software. The solution using MAPLE is as follows.
> solve(x^3 + 7*x^2 + 10*x - 56) = 0; (2, -9/2 + 1/2 I sqrt(31), -9/2 - 1/2 I sqrt(31))

Three solutions are indicated. The real number 2 and two complex numbers. Complex numbers are discussed in Chapter 10. To see that x = 2 is a solution, note that
(2)3 + 7(2)2 + 10(2) - 56 = 8 + 28 + 20 - 56 = 0

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111

Graphs of Polynomials
Polynomials are often used to model real-world phenomena. In this chapter, we have considered examples in which polynomials were used to model area and volume as a function of width, the number of used cars as a function of age, and the price of used cars as a function of age. The list of possible polynomial models is endless. The graph of a polynomial model is very useful in understanding real-world phenomena. Computer software packages are extremely useful in graphing polynomials. The following example gives the graph of a polynomial produced by using Minitab, Excel, and MAPLE. 7x2 + 10x − 56 for values of x between −3 and 3. Figs. 8-1, 8-2, and 8-3 show the MAPLE, Minitab, and Excel plots for this polynomial respectively.

Example 8-7: Suppose we wish to plot the polynomial y = x3 +

Fig. 8-1

Fig. 8-2

Note that the polynomial y = x3 + 7x2 + 10x − 56 intersects the x-axis at the point x = 2. This value is called a root of the polynomial. This confirms our finding in Example 8-6. If computer software is not available, a plot is made by computing the y values corresponding

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Fig. 8-3

to certain x values and then plotting those points in a rectangular coordinate system and connecting the points with a smooth curve. Table 8-6 gives some possible values that could be used to plot the polynomial y = x3 + 7x2 + 10x − 56.

Table 8-6 x Some Points for Plotting y = x3 + 7x2 + 10x − 56 y x y

−3.0 −2.5 −2.0 −1.5 −1.0 −0.5 0.0

−50.000 −52.875 −56.000 −58.625 −60.000 −59.375 −56.000

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0

−49.125 −38.000 −21.875 0.000 28.375 64.000

Figure 8-4 shows the points from Table 8-6 plotted. If these points are connected, a graph very similar to those in Figs. 8-1, 8-2, and 8-3 is obtained.

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113

Fig. 8-4

Don’t Forget
A polynomial in one variable x may be expressed as follows: anx n + an − 1x n − 1 + + a1x + a0

The variable is x, the degree of the polynomial is n, the a’s are numbers that are referred to as coefficients, and the product of a coefficient and a variable raised to a whole number power is called a term of the polynomial. The values of x that make the polynomial equal to zero are called roots of the polynomial. To add two polynomials, combine like terms. To subtract two polynomials, change the sign of each term in the polynomial being subtracted and then combine like terms. To multiply two polynomials, multiply each term in one polynomial by each term in the other polynomial and then combine like terms. To divide two polynomials, use the technique shown in the section Division of Polynomials.

114
Questions
Test Yourself

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

1. Consider the polynomial y = 5x4 − 3x2 + 2x − 187. (a) How many terms are there in the polynomial? (b) What is the degree of the polynomial? 2. Find (x3 − x2 + 4x − 6) + (2x3 + 3x2 + x + 9). 3. Find (x3 − x2 + 4x − 6) − (2x3 + 3x2 + x + 9). 4. Find (x3 − x2 + 4x − 6)(2x3 + 3x2 + x + 9). 5. Find x3 + 4x2 + x − 6 divided by x − 1.

Answers
1. (a) Four;
3 2

(b) fourth

2. 3x + 2x + 5x + 3 3. −x3 − 4x2 + 3x − 15 4. 2x6 + x5 + 6x4 + 8x3 − 23x2 + 30x − 54 5. x2 + 5x + 6

CHAPTER 9 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Quadratic Functions and Equations v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

➜ What is a quadratic function? do the minimum and maximum values occur for a qua➜ Wherefunction? dratic ➜ How do I use the quadratic formula to find the roots of a quadratic equation? I solve quadratic equations that have non-real➜ How do solutions? number ➜ What do the graphs of quadratic functions look like?

v v v

115
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for Terms of Use.

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Quadratic Function
Example 9-1: MidwestUnivResearch.edu is a website that describes ongoing research projects at Midwest University. One such research project concerns the relationship between fertilizer application and corn yield. Table 9-1 gives the corn yield for differing amounts of fertilizer on comparable test plots.

Table 9-1 Corn Yield for Varying Amounts of Fertilizer Application
AMOUNT OF FERTILIZER (x) CORN YIELD y = -x2 + 10x + 30

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

30 39 46 51 54 55 54 51 46 39 30

A MAPLE plot of the data in Table 9-1 is shown in Fig. 9-1. The equation y = −x2 + 10x + 30 is a second-degree polynomial. In algebra, a second-degree polynomial is called a quadratic function. The general form for a quadratic function is as follows, where a, b, and c are constants and a is not equal to zero. y = ax2 + bx + c

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117

Fig. 9-1

Maximum Value of a Quadratic Function
Example 9-2: For the corn yield data, we have a = −1, b = 10, and c = 30. The graph of this quadratic function is called a parabola. If the value of a is negative, as in this example, the parabola will open downward. When five units of fertilizer was applied to a plot, the yield was 55 bushels of corn. This is the high point or maximum yield for the curve. This is referred to as the vertex of the parabola. In general, the maximum value of a quadratic function occurs when x = −b/(2a). Note that in this case, x= −b −(10) = =5 2a 2(−1)

For values of x to the left of x = 5, the yield increases as the amount of fertilizer is increased. For values of x to the right of x = 5, the yield decreases as the amount of fertilizer is increased. It appears that there is an optimum yield that occurs when five units of fertilizer are applied and that when we go beyond that level of fertilizer, the yield begins to decrease.

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Minimum Value for a Quadratic Function

Example 9-3: Toys-galore.com has one of the largest selections of toys available on the Internet. Table 9-2 gives the monthly sales in millions of dollars from December 1998 through December 1999. Table 9-2 Sales for the Website Toys-galore.com
MONTH, CODED x SALES y = x2 - 13x + 55

MONTH

December 1998 January 1999 February 1999 March 1999 April 1999 May 1999 June 1999 July 1999 August 1999 September 1999 October 1999 November 1999 December 1999

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

43 33 25 19 15 13 13 15 19 25 33 43 55

Figure 9-2 gives a plot of the data shown in Table 9-2. The y-axis represents the monthly sales and the x-axis represents the month/year. The x-axis extends from December 1998 to December

Quadratic Functions and Equations

119

1999. Such a plot is called a time series. If the months are coded as shown in Table 9-2, the equation y = x2 − 13x + 55 may be used to describe the data. The plot for this quadratic function is shown in Fig. 9-3. Comparing this quadratic function with the general form, y = ax2 + bx + c, we see that a = 1, b = −13, and c = 55.

Fig. 9-2

Fig. 9-3

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Because a is positive, the parabola in Fig. 9-3 opens upward. The −b minimum sales occurs for x = . For this quadratic function, 2a −(−13) x = = 6.5. The minimum sales is found by y = (6.5)2 − 2(1) 13(6.5) + 55 = 12.75. The vertex of the parabola is the point (6.5, 12.75). From Fig. 9-3 we see that to the left of the vertex sales decrease as x goes from 1 to 6.5. That is, sales are high during the Christmas season of 1998 and decrease as the summer season approaches. To the right of the vertex, sales increase as x goes from 6.5 to 13. That is, after the middle of summer sales begin to increase and become high again during the Christmas 1999 season.

Quadratic Equations
Example 9-4: Custom Boxes Inc. receives an order for 50 custommade boxes with the following specifications: Each box is to be 5 inches in height, the length is to be 7 inches longer than the width, and the volume is to equal 150 cubic inches.What length and width would be needed to satisfy these specifications? If x represents the unknown width, then the length would be x + 7. The required specifications are shown in Fig. 9-4. The volume requirement leads to the equation

Fig. 9-4

Quadratic Functions and Equations

121

5x(x + 7) = 150

since the volume V = lwh is required to equal 150. This equation may be expressed as
5x2 + 35x − 150 = 0

Such an equation is called a quadratic equation.

Pattern
The general form of a quadratic equation is ax 2 + bx + c = 0

Such an equation has two solutions, called the roots of the equation, given by the quadratic formula as follows. x= -b ± b 2 - 4ac 2a

For the equation 5x 2 + 35x - 150 = 0, a = 5, b = 35, and c = -150. Substituting into the quadratic formula we obtain x= -35 ± 352 - 4(5)(-150) 2(5)

Now, the quantity under the square root is 352 - 4(5)(-150) = 4225. Using a calculator, we find that the square root of 4225 is 65. Substituting into the quadratic formula, we find the following: x= -35 ± 65 10

Using the plus sign we find x = x=

-100 = -10. Since the width can not be negative, we select 10 x = 3 as our solution. To see that our solution is correct, we note that if the width is 3, the length is 10, and the height is 5, the volume is V = 10(3)(5) = 150.

30 = 3 and using the minus sign we find 10

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Short Cuts
MAPLE software utilizes the quadratic formula to solve the quadratic equation. The MAPLE solution is as follows.
> solve( 5*x^2 + 35*x - 150=0 ); -10, 3

Quadratic Equations with Non-Real Number Solutions
Danger!
Some quadratic equations do not have any real numbers that are solutions to the equation. In attempting to find solutions to such equations, mathematicians introduce a whole new system of numbers called complex numbers. At first sight, such numbers seem removed from any real-world applications. That is, they do not appear be useful in solving problems. However, it turns out that such numbers are extremely useful in solving problems in disciplines of study such as electrical engineering. In fact, mathematics majors often take a course called Complex Variables dealing with such numbers.

Example 9-5: There are no real numbers that satisfy the quadratic equation x2 + 1 = 0 or x2 = −1

No matter how hard you try, you cannot find a real number that makes this equation true, because a nonzero real number squared

Quadratic Functions and Equations

123

will always be positive. However, if we apply the quadratic formula to this equation with a = 1, b = 0, and c = 1, we find the following: x= −b b2 − 4ac −0 = 2a x= −4 2 02 − 4(1)(1) 2(1)

There is no real number whose square is −4!

Quick Tip
Here is how the mathematicians proceeded to solve this problem. The square root of -4 is expressed as a product of square roots as follows.
-4 = -1 4

The square root of −1 is given the name imaginary unit and is represented by the letter i. i= -4 =
2

-1 -1 4 = 2i

With this imaginary unit we express the square root of −4 as follows: and the solution to the equation x + 1 = 0 is x=± 2i −4 = ± = ±i 2 2 i 2 = -1

If both sides of the equation defining i is squared, the following is obtained We see that x = i is a solution to the equation x 2 + 1 = 0, since i 2 + 1 = -1 + 1 = 0

Example 9-6: To investigate further the idea of quadratic equations with non-real number solutions, consider the quadratic equation x2 − 4x + 5 = 0

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

If we apply the quadratic formula to this equation with a = 1, b = −4, and c = 5, we find the following. x= −b b2 − 4ac −(−4) = 2a (−4)2 − 4(1)(5) 2(1)

Simplifying, we find x= 4 2 −4 = 4 2 2i

The two solutions are 2 + i and 2 − i, since
4 2 2i = 2(2 2 i) =2 i

Note that these numbers are of the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is the imaginary unit. Numbers of this form are called complex numbers. The next chapter will study complex numbers in more detail.

Graphs of Quadratic Functions
This section will illustrate the graphical implications of quadratic functions.The vertex and roots will be noted and the use of software to produce graphs of quadratic functions will be considered. Figure 9-5 is a MAPLE plot of the quadratic function y = x2 + x − 6. Applying the quadratic formula with a = 1, b = 1, and c = −6 to the quadratic equation x2 + x − 6 = 0

we find the roots to be x = −3 and x = 2. Note that this is where the parabola cuts the x-axis and therefore y = 0 for these values. The fact that a is positive tells us that the parabola will open upward. −b The x value of the vertex is given by x = or x = −1/2. The mini2a mum value for y occurs at this value of x and is equal to y= − 1 2
2

+ −

1 − 6 = −6.25 2

Quadratic Functions and Equations

125

Fig. 9-5 Figure 9-6 is a MINITAB plot of the quadratic function y = −x2 + 10x. Applying the quadratic formula with a = −1, b = 10, and c = 0 to the quadratic equation
−x2 + 10x = 0

we find the roots to be x = 0 and x = 10. Note that this is where the parabola cuts the x-axis and therefore y = 0 for these values. The fact that a is negative tells us that the parabola will open downward. −b The x value of the vertex is given by x = or x = 5. The maximum 2a value for y occurs at this value of x and is equal to y = −(5)2 + 10(5) = 25

Fig. 9-6

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Figure 9-7 is an Excel plot of the quadratic function y = x2 − 4x + 25. Applying the quadratic formula with a = 1, b = −4, and c = 25, we find that the roots are complex. They are found to be 2 − 21 i and 2 + 21 i. From Fig. 9-7 we see that the parabola does not cross the x-axis. This corresponds to the fact that the quadratic equation has no real roots. The fact that a is positive tells us that the parabola will open upward. The x value of the vertex is x = −b/2a or in this case x = 2. The minimum value for y occurs at this value of x and is equal to y = (2)2 − 4(2) + 25 = 21

Fig. 9-7

Don’t Forget
The general form of a quadratic function is y = ax 2 + bx + c. The graph of a quadratic function is called a parabola. If a is positive, the parabola opens upward and the minimum value for y occurs at the vertex of the parabola. The x value of the vertex is given by x = -b/(2a). If a is negative, the parabola opens downward and the maximum value for y occurs at the vertex of the parabola. A quadratic equation is of the form ax2 + bx + c = 0. The two values of x for which this equation is true are called the roots of the quadratic equation. They are given by the quadratic formula as follows: x= -b ± b2 - 4ac 2a

Quadratic Functions and Equations

127

Pattern
The quantity b 2 - 4ac is called the discriminant for the quadratic equation. If the discriminant is negative, the roots of the quadratic equation will contain the imaginary unit. If the discriminant is zero, the same real root occurs twice. If the discriminant is positive, there are two unequal real roots. The imaginary unit i is defined to equal the square root of -1. Numbers of the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers, are called complex numbers. When a quadratic function is graphed, the resulting parabola will have either a minimum or a maximum value that occurs at the vertex. If the parabola intersects the x-axis, these will be the real roots of a quadratic equation.

Questions
Test Yourself Answer Questions 1 through 4 for both quadratic function 1 and quadratic function 2. Quadratic function 1: y = 3x2 + 6x − 24. Quadratic function 2: y = −2x2 + 4x + 16. 1. Does the graph of the quadratic function open upward or downward? 2. What are the coordinates of the vertex? 3. What is maximum/minimum y value for the function? 4. Where does the graph of the function intercept the x-axis? 5. Find the roots to the quadratic equation x2 + 4 = 0.

Answers
1. Quadratic function 1: upward 2. Quadratic function 1: (−1, −27) Quadratic function 2: downward Quadratic function 2: (1, 18)

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

3. Quadratic function 1: minimum = −27. 4. Quadratic function 1: x = −4 and x = 2. 5. −2i and 2i

Quadratic function 2: maximum = 18. Quadratic function 2: x = −2 and x = 4.

CHAPTER 10 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Roots, Radicals, and Complex Numbers v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

➜ What are square roots, cube roots, and higher-order roots? do I know ➜ Whatof radicals?about the sum, difference, product, and quotient ➜ What are complex numbers and how do I add, subtract, multiply, and divide them? MAPLE ➜ What doimaginaryand Excel plots of polynomials with both real and roots look like?

v v v

129
Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click here for Terms of Use.

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Square Roots
Example 10-1: CustomRugs.com is an Internet location specializing in custom-designed rugs. Suppose a square rug of area 121 square feet is ordered. Because the rug is square, the dimension of the rug may be found by finding the square root of the area. The 2 square root is indicated by either the square root radical, , or by the exponent 1/2. The 2 is often omitted in the square root radical and the symbol is used. In general, b is the square root of a if b2 = a. That is the following two statements are equivalent. a=b is equivalent to b2 = a

In the case of the rug having area 121 square feet, there are two real numbers that represent the square root of 121, since
(11)2 = 121 and (−11)2 = 121

The positive square root of 121 is 11. Because measurements of dimensions are positive, the answer 11 would be chosen as the answer and the rug is an 11 × 11 rug. The positive square root of a number is called the principal square root.

Cube Roots
Example 10-2: Custom Boxes Inc. receives orders for cubical boxes of various volumes from different companies. Table 10-1 Table 10-1 Some of the Boxes Available from CustomBoxes.com
VOLUME DIMENSIONS LENGTH OF SIDE

8 27 64 125 216

2 by 2 by 2 3 by 3 by 3 4 by 4 by 4 5 by 5 by 5 6 by 6 by 6

2 3 4 5 6

Roots, Radicals, and Complex Numbers

131

gives the dimensions of various boxes with volumes equal to 8, 27, 64, 125, and 216 cubic inches. This table may be used to determine the dimensions of a box that has a particular volume. Note that each of these volumes is a perfect cube. The volume is equal to the length of a side cubed. Conversely, the length of a side is equal to the cube root of the volume.The cube 3 root of the volume is written as volume or as the volume to the 1/3 power. That is,3 (volume)1/3 represents the cube root of the volume. The symbol is called radical notation for cube root. In general, b is the cube root of a if b3 = a. That is the following two statements are equivalent:
3

a=b

is equivalent to

b3 = a

What dimensions are needed for a box having a volume equal to 100 cubic inches? We need to find the length of a side, represented by x, that is such that x3 = 100
3 3

or

x=

3

100

Since 4 = 64 and 5 = 125, we see that x must be between the real numbers 4 and 5. Because there is no whole number whose cube equals 100, we must use a calculator or computer software to find the answer.

Pattern
The function y found on most calculators is used as follows to find the cube root of 100. The following steps will result in finding the cube root of 100. Step 1: Enter 100, the number for which you wish to find the cube root. x Step 2: Select the function y. Step 3: Enter 3 for the cube root. Step 4: Enter = . The result is 4.64 to two decimal places. Multiplying 4.64 times itself three times gives the result 99.897344. The more decimal places you use, the closer will be the cube of the number to 100. x 132

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Short Cuts
A more complete picture of the relationship between the volumes required for the cubical boxes ordered by various companies and the length of a side for the cubical box is provided by a the graph of the cube root function. The cube root function is as follows: y= 3

x = x 1/3

The following MAPLE command produces the plot shown in Fig. 10-1.

Fig. 10-1
➢ plot( x^(1/3), x=0..100,tickmarks=[15,10],labels = ['x = volume','y = length of side'] );

See if you can locate the points given in Table 10-1 on the graph in Fig. 10-1.

Higher-Order Roots
The symbol is called radical notation for the nth root. In general, b is the nth root of a if bn = a. That is, the following two statements are equivalent: n n

a=b

is equivalent to

bn = a

Roots, Radicals, and Complex Numbers

133

Example 10-3: If principal P is invested at interest rate r% and the interest is compounded yearly for n years, the value of the investment after n years is given by the following equation:
Value of investment after n years = P(1 + r/100)n

Suppose $5000 is invested in a mutual fund and nothing is added to or taken from the fund for 5 years. If the value of the fund at the end of 5 years is $10,000, what equivalent yearly rate of compound interest did the fund yield? We are asked to find r. The equation of value is
10,000 = 5000(1 + r/100)5

Dividing both sides by 5000 we obtain:
2 = (1 + r/100)5

To solve this equation we need to take the fifth root of both sides. This gives
5

2 = 1 + r/100

Using a calculator and the procedure for finding the fifth root, we 5 find that 2 = 1.148698. The last equation now becomes
1.148698 = 1 + r 100

or solving for r, we find r = 14.9%

Danger!
There are no real even roots of negative numbers. That is if a is less than zero and n is an even whole number, there is no real number b that satisfies bn = a. Suppose you wished to find the fourth root of -16. Even though 24 = 16 and (-2)4 = 16, there is no real number b that satisfies the equation b4 = -16.

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Four Fundamental Operations Involving Radicals
The nth root of a product of two nonnegative quantities is equal to the product of the nth roots of the quantities.This is expressed as follows. n ab =

n

a b

n

for

a≥0

and

b≥0

A similar result holds for quotients and is as follows: n a = b

n n

a b

for

a≥0

and

b>0

Example 10-4: The following illustrates these laws for square roots:
4(25) = 4 100 = 10

25 = 2(5) = 10 100 = 25 100 25 = 4=2 10 =2 5

Danger!
The nth root of a sum or difference is not equal to the sum or difference of the nth roots.

Example 10-5: This example illustrates this potential trouble spot.
16 + 9 = 16 + 16 + 9 ≠ 25 = 5 16 +

9=4+3=7 9

Roots, Radicals, and Complex Numbers

135

Complex Numbers
In our discussion of the solutions of quadratic equations, we found that some solutions involved the imaginary unit i. In that discussion, we found that i is defined as follows. i= −1 and i2 = −1

Additional powers of i provide some interesting results. i3 = i2(i) = (−1)(i) = −i i4 = i2(i2) = (−1)(−1) = 1

If this process is continued, it is found that any power of i is either i, −i, 1 or −1. The definition of a complex number is any number of the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers. The number a is called the real part of the complex number and the number b is called the imaginary part of the complex number. Complex numbers have applications in many fields of science and engineering.

Operations on Complex Numbers
Example 10-6: To add or subtract two complex numbers, you add or subtract the real part and add or subtract the imaginary parts. The following examples illustrate how to add and subtract complex numbers.
(3 + 2i) + (5 + 7i) = (8 + 9i) (3 + 2i) − (5 + 7i) = (−2 − 5i)

We multiply two complex numbers using the FOIL method discussed in Chapter 1 and then replace i2 by −1. To multiply (3 − i) times (5 + 2i), we proceed as follows.

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Summarizing, we have the following:
(3 − i)(5 + 2i) = 15 + 6i − 5i − 2i2 (3 − i)(5 + 2i) = 15 + i − 2(−1) (3 − i)(5 + 2i) = 17 + i

In order to describe the division of two complex numbers, we need to define the conjugate of a complex number. The conjugate of a complex number is obtained by changing the sign of the imaginary part of the complex number. To divide two complex numbers, multiply the numerator and denominator by the conjugate of the denominator. Suppose we wish to divide 3 − i by 5 + i. The conjugate of 5 + i is 5 − i. The division is accomplished as follows:
3−i 3−i = 5+i 5+i 5−i 5−i

Multiplying the numerators and denominators, we obtain:
3−i 5+i 4 8 7 5 − i 15 − 5i − 3i + i2 14 − 8i 14 = = = − i= − i 2 26 26 26 13 13 5 − i 25 + 5i − 5i − i

Note again that any time i2 appears, it is replaced by −1.

Quick Tip
It is difficult for algebra students to see the physical significance (realworld applications) of operations on complex numbers. Unfortunately, the useful applications of complex numbers occurs in more advanced science and engineering courses.

Short Cuts
Example 10-7: Let us consider once again the power of the MAPLE software to perform algebraic operations by using MAPLE to perform the operations on complex numbers illustrated in Example 10-6.

Roots, Radicals, and Complex Numbers

137

> (3+2*I)+(5+7*I); > (3+2*I)-(5+7*I); > (3-I)*(5+2*I); > (3-I)/(5+I);

8 + 9 I -2 - 5 I 17 + I 7/13 - 4/13 I

Polynomials with Both Real and Imaginary Roots
Example 10-8: Consider the following fourth-degree polynomial. y = −x4 + x3 + x2 + x + 2

Table 10-2 gives some points on this polynomial that may be used to form a plot of the polynomial if computer software is not available.

Table 10-2 x Points on y = −x4 + x3 + x2 + x + 2 y x y x y x y x y

−2 −1.75 −1.5 −1.25

−20 −11 −5.7 −2.1

−1 −0.75 −0.5 −0.25

0 1.1 1.6 1.8

0 0.25 0.5 0.75

2 2.3 2.8 3.4

1 1.25 1.5 1.75

4 4.3 4.1 2.8

2 2.25 2.5 2.75

0 −4.9 −13 −24

Figure 10-2 show an Excel plot of these points. If they are now connected, a graph similar to the MAPLE plot of y = −x4 + x3 + x2 + x + 2 shown in Fig. 10-3 is obtained.

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Fig. 10-2

Fig. 10-3 The roots (values of x that make the polynomial equal to zero) are found using MAPLE and the output is as follows.
> solve( x^4-x^3-x^2-x-2=0); 2, -1, I, -I

Thus the roots are 2, −1, i, and −i. It is instructional to verify that these are indeed the roots of the polynomial. For the real root x = −1, we have
P(−1) = −(−1)4 + (−1)3 + (−1)2 + (−1) + 2 = −1 − 1 + 1 − 1 + 2 = 0

Roots, Radicals, and Complex Numbers

139

For the real root x = 2, we have
P(2) = −(2)4 + (2)3 + (2)2 + (2) + 2 = −16 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 2 = 0

For the imaginary root x = i, we have
P(i) = −(i)4 + (i)3 + (i)2 + (i) + 2 = −(1) + (−i) + (−1) + (i) + 2 = 0

Similarly, for the imaginary root x = −i, P(−i) = 0. Note that the real roots are the points where the polynomial cuts the x-axis. However, the imaginary roots do not have a similar interpretation.

Don’t Forget
3 n n

a=b is equivalent to b2 = a a=b is equivalent to b3 = a a = b n is equivalent to bn = a n ab = a b for a≥0 and n a = b

n

b≥0 and b>0

n

a b

for

a≥0

The nth root of a sum or difference is not equal to the sum or difference of the nth roots. The definition of a complex number is any number of the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers. The number a is called the real part of the complex number and the number b is called the imaginary part of the complex number. To add or subtract two complex numbers, you add or subtract the real parts and add or subtract the imaginary parts. Complex numbers are multiplied in the same manner as polynomials are multiplied. Complex numbers are divided by multiplying the numerator and denominator by the conjugate of the denominator.

140
Questions
Test Yourself

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

1. Find the principal square roots of the following numbers: (a) 25; (b) 81; (c) 35 2. Find the cube roots of the following numbers: (a) 64; (b) 125; (c) 35 3. Compute the values of the two quantities given in the following: 3 3 3 (a) 64(125) and 64( 125) (b) (c)
3

125 64 125 + 64

3

and and

3

125 64
3

3

125 +

3

64

4. Perform the following operations on the complex numbers: (a) (2 + 4i) + (6 − 2i) (b) (2 + 4i) − (6 − 2i) (c) (2 + 4i)(6 − 2i) (d) (2 + 4i) ÷ (6 − 2i) 5. Evaluate the following powers of i: (a) i35 (b) i36 (c) i37 (d) i38

Answers
1. (a) 5; 2. (a) 4; (b) 9; (b) 5; (c) 5.916079 . . . (c) 3.271066 . . . (b) 1.25 and 1.25; (c) i; (d) −1 (c) 5.738794 . . . and 9 (d) 0.1 + 0.7i (c) 20 + 20i;

3. (a) 20 and 20; 4. (a) 8 + 2i; 5. (a) −i; (b) 1;

(b) −4 + 6i;

CHAPTER 11 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Rational Expressions v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

➜ What is a rational expression? ➜ How do I multiply, divide, add, and subtract rational expressions? ➜ How do I solve equations containing rational expressions?

v v v

141
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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Rational Expressions

Example 11-1: Booksales.com is a large seller of books. The marketing group at Booksales.com knows that if a book is priced low the demand will be high, but the profit per book will be low. On the other hand, if the book is priced high, the demand will be low and the profit per book will be high. Table 11-1 gives several different possible selling prices, the sales demand in thousands, the profit in thousands, and the average profit per book for a new paperback.
Table 11-1
PRICE PER BOOK p DEMAND (THOUSANDS) 16 − p PROFIT (THOUSANDS) −p2 + 25p − 144 AVERAGE PROFIT PER BOOK p−9

10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00

6 5 4 3 2 1

6 10 12 12 10 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

The first row of the table indicates that if the book is sold for $10.00, the demand will be 6000, the profits will be $6000, and the average profit per book will be $1.00. In general, if the price per book is p, the demand is 16 − p, the profit is −p2 + 25p − 144.The average profit per book is equal to the profit divided by the demand. Figure 11-1

Rational Expressions

143

is a Minitab plot showing the relationship among price, demand, profit, and average profit per book.

Fig. 11-1 The average profit per book is given by the following rational expression:
−p2 + 25p − 144 16 − p

A rational expression is defined to be the quotient of two polynomials. The above rational expression is undefined for p = 16. Such a value for which the denominator of the rational expression equals zero is called an excluded value for the expression. The numerator of this rational expression is factored as follows:
−p2 + 25p − 144 = (p − 9)(16 − p)

Substituting in the above rational expression, we obtain the following simplified form for the rational expression. The rational expression is reduced to lowest terms.
(p − 9)(16 − p) =p−9 16 − p

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Danger!
When reducing a rational expression to lowest terms, only factors of both the numerator and denominator may be divided out (canceled). x (x + 2)(x - 3) (x + 2)(x - 3) / π x + (x + 10) / (x + 10)

The x in the numerator and the x in the denominator may not be divided out because the x in the denominator is not a factor.

Multiplying Rational Expressions
Example 11-2: Suppose the demand (in thousands) for a compact disc is given by the rational expression
30 x+6

where x is the price per compact disc and the average profit per compact disc on sales of the compact disc is given by x2 + 5x − 6 5x + 10

Then the total profit (in thousands) is equal to the demand times the average profit per unit and is given by the following product of rational expressions:
30 x+6 x2 + 5x − 6 30 = x+6 5x + 10 6(x − 1) (x + 6)(x − 1) = 5(x + 2) x+2

The factor x + 6 is divided out in both the numerator and the denominator and the 5 is divided into the 30 to obtain the 6. Table 11-2 gives the demand, average profit, and total profit for various selling prices. Figure 11-2 shows a plot of demand, total profit, and average profit versus price for Example 11-2.

Rational Expressions

145

Table 11-2
DEMAND (THOUSANDS) 30 x+6 AVERAGE PROFIT x2 + 5x − 6 5x + 10 TOTAL PROFIT (THOUSANDS) 6(x − 1) x+2

PRICE x

5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0 8.5 9.0 9.5 10.0

2.7 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.9

1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4

3.4 3.6 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.5

Fig. 11-2

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Pattern
Two rational expressions are multiplied just as two fractions are multiplied. That is, we multiply the numerators and the denominators, and then reduce the result to lowest terms.

Dividing Rational Expressions
Example 11-3: Suppose the total profit on sales of a software
6x − 6 , where x is the price of the software prox+2 gram. Suppose that when x is the price, the demand is given by 30 . The average profit is given by the total profit divided by the x+6 demand as follows: program is given by
30 6x − 6 ÷ x+2 x+6

The division of two rational expressions is performed just as the division of two fractions. That is, invert the second fraction and then multiply.
6x − 6 x+2 x+6 6(x − 1)(x + 6) = 30 30(x + 2)

/ 6(x − 1)(x + 6) (x − 1)(x + 6) = 30 (x + 2) ⁄ 5(x + 2)
(x − 1)(x + 6) x2 + 5x − 6 = 5(x + 2) 5x + 10

Pattern
To divide two rational fractions, invert the second and then multiply. After multiplying, reduce to lowest terms by dividing out common factors in the numerator and denominator.

Rational Expressions

147

Addition and Subtraction of Rational Expressions
In order to add or subtract fractions, we first obtain a lowest common denominator (LCD) and then combine numerators over that LCD. For example, suppose we wish to find the following:
4 3 2 + − 14 15 18

The LCD is found by considering the prime factorization for each denominator.
14 = 2(7) 15 = 3(5) and 18 = 2(3)(3)

The LCD is the product of the prime factors as follows:
LCD = 2(3)(3)(5)(7) = 630

The fractions are converted to equivalent fractions having a denominator equal to 630 as follows:
79 3 2 4 135 84 140 + − = + − = 14 15 18 630 630 630 630

The same technique is used to add or subtract rational expressions.

Example 11-4: Combine the following rational expressions:
4 6 4 − + 2 x − 1 x − 2 x − 3x + 2

The factorization for x2 − 3x + 2 is (x − 1)(x − 2). The factors to occur in the denominators are (x − 1) and (x − 2) and the LCD = (x − 1) (x − 2). The original problem may be expressed as follows, where each fraction is expressed with the same LCD.
6 4 4 − + 2 x − 1 x − 2 x − 3x + 2 = 4(x − 1) 6(x − 2) 4 − + (x − 1)(x − 2) (x − 1)(x − 2) (x − 1)(x − 2)

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Combining numerators over the LCD, we have
6(x − 2) 4(x − 1) 4 6(x − 2) − 4(x − 1) + 4 − + = (x − 1)(x − 2) (x − 1)(x − 2) (x − 1)(x − 2) (x − 1)(x − 2) 6(x − 2) − 4(x − 1) + 4 6x − 12 − 4x + 4 + 4 = (x − 1)(x − 2) (x − 1)(x − 2) 2x − 4 6x − 12 − 4x + 4 + 4 = (x − 1)(x − 2) (x − 1)(x − 2) 2 2x − 4 2(x − 2) = = (x − 1)(x − 2) (x − 1)(x − 2) (x − 1)

Finally, we have the following result:
6 4 4 2 − + 2 = x − 1 x − 2 x − 3x + 2 (x − 1)

This equality holds for every value of x except the excluded values x = 1 and x = 2. Suppose x = 3 for instance. The value for the lefthand side of the equation is
4 6 4 − + =3−4+2=1 3 − 1 3 − 2 32 − 3(3) + 2

The value for the right-hand side is

2 which also equals 1. (3 − 1)

Pattern
To add or subtract rational expressions, use the following steps. 1. Find the LCD for all the rational expressions. 2. Change all given rational expressions to equivalent rational expressions, with the LCD as their denominators. 3. Add or subtract the rational expressions. 4. Reduce the result to lowest terms.

Rational Expressions

149

Short Cuts
The solution to Example 11-4 using MAPLE is as follows:
> simplify( 6/(x-1) - 4/(x-2) + 4/(x^2-3*x+2) ); 2 ----x - 1

Solving Equations Containing Rational Expressions
Example 11-5: In Example 11-1, the average profit per book as a function of the price per book was given by
−p2 + 25p − 144 16 − p

Suppose we wish to determine the price we need to charge in order that the average profit equal $1.50 per book.This requirement leads to the equation:
−p2 + 25p − 144 = 1.50 16 − p

To solve this equation, first multiply both sides of the equation by 16 − p to clear fractions. The following equation is obtained
−p2 + 25p − 144 = (16 − p)(1.50) = 24 − 1.5p

Rearranging terms and writing in the form of a quadratic equation, we obtain:
−p2 + 26.5p − 168 = 0

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This equation may be solved by using the quadratic equation or by using MAPLE. The solution using MAPLE is:
> solve( -p^2+26.5*p-168=0); 10.50000000, 16.

−p2 + 25p − 144 is undefined when 16 − p p = 16, the solution is p = $10.50. This solution could also be −p2 + 25p − 144 obtained by noting that the expression reduces to 16 − p p − 9. And solving p − 9 = 1.50 for p also gives p = $10.50. Because the expression

Pattern
To solve an equation containing rational expressions use the following steps. 1. Clear all rational expressions by multiplying each term on both sides of the equation by the LCD of the rational expressions. 2. Solve the resulting equation. 3. Check all answers to see if they satisfy the original equation.

Don’t Forget
A rational expression is a ratio of two polynomials. An excluded value for a rational expression is a value for which the denominator of the rational expression is equal to zero. When performing the four basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on rational expressions, the same rules are followed as when performing the four basic operations on numerical fractions.

Rational Expressions

151

To multiply two rational expressions, multiply the numerators and the denominators and then reduce to lowest terms. To divide two rational expressions, invert the second and then multiply. To add or subtract rational expressions, use the following steps. 1. Find the LCD for all the rational expressions. 2. Change all given rational expressions to equivalent rational expressions, with the LCD as their denominators. 3. Add or subtract the rational expressions. 4. Reduce the result to lowest terms. To solve an equation containing rational expressions use the following steps: 1. Clear all rational expressions by multiplying each term on both sides of the equation by the LCD of the rational expressions. 2. Solve the resulting equation. 3. Check all answers to see if they satisfy the original equation.

Questions
Test Yourself 1. Verify the following factorizations of the numerator and the denominator of the rational expression and reduce the rational expression to lowest terms. Identify all excluded values. x2 + 3x + 2 (x + 1)(x + 2) = 3 x − 7x − 6 (x + 1)(x + 2)(x − 3)

2. Verify the following factorizations of the rational expressions and then multiply the two rational expressions. x2 − 2x − 63 (x − 9)(x + 7) = x2 − 4x − 45 (x − 9)(x + 5) 2x2 + 13x + 15 (2x + 3)(x + 5) = (2x + 3)(x − 4) 2x2 − 5x − 12

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3. Perform the following division: x2 − 2x − 3 x2 − 1 ÷ x2 + 4x + 3 x2 − 9

4. Perform the following addition:
5 1 + x + 2 x2 − x − 6

5. Perform the following subtraction: x−3 x−5 − x+5 x+3

6. Solve the following equation:
5 3 4 − = x − 2 x + 1 x2 − x − 2

Answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1 . Excluded values are x = −1, −2, and 3. x−3 x+7 x−4 x−1 x+1 1 x−3 16 (x + 3)(x + 5)

6. x = 6.

CHAPTER 12 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Exponential and Logarithmic Functions v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

➜ What are exponential and logarithm functions? ➜ What are common and natural logarithms? ➜ How do I work with exponential and logarithm functions using calculators, Minitab, and Excel? ➜ What are the basic properties of logarithms? are some of ➜ Whatlogarithms? the common mistakes made when working with

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Exponential Functions

Example 12-1: Everyone likes to watch his or her money grow. Compound interest is the mechanism by which we can grow our money. The compound interest formula is
A=P 1+ r n nt where A is the amount present after t years when a principal P dollars is invested at an interest rate r, compounded n times per year. Suppose that you invest P = $1000 for t = 5 years at a rate r = 6% compounded quarterly (that is, n = 4). The amount after 5 years is
A = 1000 1 + 0.06 4
20

= 1000(1.015)20

Using a calculator to evaluate (1.015)20, we find (1.015)20 = 1.34686, and A = $1346.86. Table 12-1 shows the amount at the end of years 1 through 30. The quantities in the amount column were obtained by substituting the values 1, 2, , 30 for t in the equation
A = 1000 1 + 0.06 4
4t

= 1000(1.015)4t

The compound interest formula is an example of an exponential function. Functions of the form y = ax, where a > 0, a ≠ 1, and x and y are variables, are called exponential functions. The number a is called the base of the exponential function. Exponential functions

Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

155

are useful in describing real-world phenomena such as the growth of money, the growth of populations, radioactive decay, and so on. Table 12-1 The Growth of $1000 over 30 Years at 6% Compounded Quarterly
YEAR AMOUNT YEAR AMOUNT YEAR AMOUNT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1061.36 1126.49 1195.62 1268.99 1346.86 1429.50 1517.22 1610.32 1709.14 1814.02

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

1925.33 2043.48 2168.87 2301.96 2443.22 2593.14 2752.27 2921.16 3100.41 3290.66

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

3492.59 3706.91 3934.38 4175.80 4432.05 4704.01 4992.67 5299.03 5624.20 5969.32

Figure 12-1 is a Minitab plot of the data in Table 12-1

Fig. 12-1

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Example 12-2: The median price for a new automobile is
$20,000. A median-priced auto is purchased. Suppose it retains 85% of its previous value each year that it remains in use. The value of the automobile y after x years is given by the exponential equation y = 20,000(0.85)x

At the end of 5 years, the value for this auto would be y = 20,000(0.85)5. Using a calculator to evaluate (0.85)5, we find that y = 20,000(0.4437) = $8,874. Table 12-2 shows the value of a medianpriced automobile at the end of each year for 15 years. Table 12-2
YEAR

Depreciated Values for a Median-Priced Automobile
VALUE YEAR VALUE YEAR VALUE

1 2 3 4 5

17000.0 14450.0 12282.5 10440.1 8874.1

6 7 8 9 10

7543.0 6411.5 5449.8 4632.3 3937.5

11 12 13 14 15

3346.9 2844.8 2418.1 2055.4 1747.1

Figure 12-2 shows a Minitab plot of the data in Table 12-2.

Fig. 12-2

Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

157

Quick Tip
When we compare Figs. 12-1 and 12-2, we see that the exponential function in Fig. 12-1 is an example of an increasing function. That is, as the years increase, the amount increases. The exponential function in Fig. 12-2 is an example of a decreasing function. That is, as the years increase, the value of the automobile decreases. This is called depreciation. When a is greater than 1, the function f(x) = ax is an increasing function. The greater the value of a, the faster the function increases. When a is between 0 and 1, the function f(x) = ax is a decreasing function. The greater the value of a, the more slowly the function decreases.

Logarithm Function
A function that is very closely related to the exponential function is the logarithm function. In fact, the exponential and logarithm functions are inverse functions. For all positive numbers, a, a ≠ 1, and all positive numbers x, y = loga x means the same as x = ay. The number a is called the base of the logarithm. Note that the logarithm of a number is actually an exponent. At first, the logarithm function seems difficult to understand. I have found over many years of teaching algebra that the best way to grasp the definition is to simply practice it over and over.

2 will give 8? The answer is 3 since 23 = 8. Therefore, we write log2 8 = 3. Table 12-3 gives several illustrations intended to help you grasp the concept of a logarithm. Read each row of this table carefully and when you finish, you will have a much better understanding of a logarithm. Table 12-3 assures us that by using our knowledge of exponents, we can often find the logarithm of a number in our head. But this is not always the case. Suppose we wish to find log2 7.5. It is not obvious what exponent of 2 will give 7.5. That is the solution to 2x = 7.5 is not clear. We will show you how to find this logarithm in the following sections.

Example 12-3: Suppose we wish to find log2 8. What exponent of

158
Table 12-3
FIND

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Practicing the Definition of a Logarithm
WHAT QUESTION MUST YOU ASK? ANSWER

log5 25 log4 64 log10 100 log12 144 logc c3 logb b logb 1 log2 0.25 log10 0.001

What exponent of 5 will give 25? What exponent of 4 will give 64? What exponent of 10 will give 100? What exponent of 12 will give 144? What exponent of c will give c3? What exponent of b will give b? What exponent of b will give 1? What exponent of 2 will give 0.25?(0.25 = 2−2) What exponent of 10 will give 0.001?(0.001 = 10−3)

log5 25 = 2 log4 64 = 3 log10 100 = 2 log12 144 = 2 logc c3 = 3 logb b = 1 logb 1 = 0 log2 0.25 = −2 log10 0.001 = −3

Common and Natural Logarithms
Although any positive number a ≠ 1 may be used as the base for logarithms, two bases are commonly used.When the base 10 is used, the logarithms are called common logarithms. When the irrational number e that is approximately equal to 2.71828 is used, the logarithms are called natural logarithms. The number e is usually first encountered when students take their first calculus course. Common logarithms are written as log x rather than log10 x and natural logarithms are written as ln x rather than loge x.

Example 12-4: Prior to the widespread availability of inexpensive handheld calculators, tables of common and natural logarithms were used to evaluate logarithms. For most scientific calculators, to find the common log of the number 7 for example, you simply enter 7 and then press the log key. You will obtain the following:
Enter 7 followed by log gives 0.84509804

To obtain the natural log, you enter 7, press the ln key, and obtain the following:
Enter 7 followed by ln gives 1.945910149

Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

159

Quick Tip
On many scientific calculators the second or inverse function for log is given as 10x and the second or inverse function for ln is given as ex. If you enter the number 0.84509804 and then press second or inv and then log, you obtain the following.
Enter 0.84509804
0.84509804

followed by 2nd

followed by log

gives 7

That is 10 = 7. Similarly, if you enter the number 1.94591049 and then press second or inv and then ln, you obtain
Enter 1.94591049 followed by 2nd followed by ln gives 7

That is e

1.94591049

= 7.

Technology and Exponential/ Logarithmic Functions
Many software programs may be used to evaluate exponential and logarithmic functions as well as to graph such functions. Figure 12-3 shows an Excel spreadsheet where certain common and natural logs have been computed. After entering the numbers from 0.5 to 10 in steps of 0.5 in cells A1 to A20, the calculation =log10(a1) is entered in C1 and a click and drag is performed to produce the entries shown in column C. Similarly =ln(a1) is entered in cell E1 and a click and drag is executed. Note that the same value for the common and natural log of 7 is obtained as with the calculator in Example 12-4. Figure 12-4 shows the session window as well as the worksheet from Minitab. The commands that entered the numbers in column C1 as well as the common and natural log computations are shown in the session window. The lower half of the window is the worksheet. The values for the logs are shown in the worksheet. Figure 12-5 shows a plot of the common log function produced by MAPLE. The point (10,1) shown on the graph indicates that log 10 = 1.

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Fig. 12-3

The author believes strongly that technology should be integrated into the teaching of algebra at all levels. Technology provides strong enhancements to learning algebra.

Properties of Logarithms
Table 12-4 gives four important properties of logarithms. These properties are important in solving many real-world problems that involve logarithms.

Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

161

Fig. 12-4

Fig. 12-5

162
Table 12-4

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Properties of Logarithms
PROPERTY IN WORDS

PROPERTY

1. loga (A B) = loga A + loga B 2. loga A = loga A − loga B B 3. loga Ar = r(loga A) logb A logb a

The log of a product is the sum of the logs. The log of a quotient is the difference of the logs. The log of a number to an exponent is the exponent times the log of the number. Change of base property.

4. loga A =

Example 12-5: In Example 12-1, $1000 was invested at 6% compounded quarterly. How long will it take for the investment to double? Recall that the amount at any time is given by
A = 1000 1 + 0.06 4
4t

= 1000(1.015)4t

The answer to the problem is the solution to the equation
2000 = 1000(1.015)4t

Taking the common log of both sides of this equation, we get log(2000) = log[1000(1.015)4t]

Letting A = 1000 and B = (1.015)4t, property 1 in Table 12-4 allows us to reexpress the right-hand side as follows: log[1000(1.015)4t] = log 1000 + log (1.015)4t

Using property 3 in Table 12-4 with A = 1.015 and r = 4t, we can reexpress log (1.015)4t as follows: log (1.015)4t = 4t log (1.015) log 2000 = log 1000 + 4t log (1.015)

Evaluating the common logs using a calculator, we have
3.30103 = 3 + 4t(0.006466)

Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

163

Simplifying, we obtain
0.30103 = t(0.025864) 0.30103 t= = 11.64 years 0.025864

It would take between 11 and 12 years for the investment to double its value.

Danger!
Students often use properties that the logarithm function does not have. Table 12-5 gives properties that are not valid for the logarithm function. Watch out and do not commit the mistake of using these incorrect properties for logarithms.

Table 12-5 Watch Out for the Following Incorrect Properties of Logs
DO NOT MAKE THESE MISTAKES!!!

log (A + B) ≠ log A + log B log (A − B) ≠ log A − log B log (A B) ≠ log A log B A log A log ≠ B log B log A ≠ log A − log B log B

Example 12-6: The change of base property of logarithms given in Table 12-4 is often useful and is illustrated as follows. Suppose you need to find the log2 5. In the equation loga A = logb A/logb a, let a = 2 and A = 5, and choose b = 10. Then log2 5 may be found using common logs as follows: log2 5 = log 5 log 2

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Using a calculator we find that the common log of 5 is 0.6989700 and that the common log of 2 is 0.3010299 and that log2 5 = 0.6989700 = 2.3219 0.3010299

If b is chosen to equal e, then log2 5 may be found using natural logs as follows: log2 5 = ln 5 ln 2

Using a calculator we find that the natural log of 5 is 1.6094379 and that the natural log of 2 is 0.6931472 and that log2 5 = 1.6094379 = 2.3219 0.6931472

Thus, we see that log2 5 may be found by using either common or natural logs and the change of base property.

Don’t Forget
Functions of the form y = ax, where a > 0, a ≠ 1, and x and y are variables, are called exponential functions. The number a is called the base of the exponential function. For all positive numbers a, a ≠ 1, and all positive numbers x, y = loga x means the same as x = ay. The number a is called the base of the logarithm. When the base of the logarithm is 10, the logarithm is called a common log. When the base is e, the logarithm is called a natural log. loga (A B) = loga A + loga B loga A = loga A − loga B B loga Ar = r(loga A) logb A loga A = logb a

Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

165

Questions
Test Yourself 1. Evaluate the following logarithms without the use of a calculator or computer software: (a) log5 125 (b) log13 169 (c) log2 0.125 (d) log7 0.002915452 (e) loga a4 2. Evaluate the following common and natural logs by the use of a calculator or computer software: (a) log 175 (b) log 0.245 (c) ln 175 (d) ln 0.245 3. Use the change of base property to evaluate the following logarithms: (a) log5 13 (b) log13 5 4. Use the properties of logarithms to express the following as a sum or difference of logarithms: x2 y3 (a) log 4 z a b3 (b) log 3 c 5. Use the properties of logarithms to express the following as a single logarithm. (a) 2 log x − 3 log y + log z (b) 0.5 log x + 0.25 log y − 3 log z

166
Answers
1. (a) 3; (b) 2;

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

(c) −3; (b) 0.62747

(d) −3;

(e) 4 (d) −1.40650

2. (a) 2.24304; 3. (a) 1.59369; x2z ; y3

(b) −0.61083;

(c) 5.164786; (b)

4. (a) 2 log x + 3 log y − 4 log z; 5. (a) log (b) log x y z3
4

1 1 log a + 3 log b − log c 2 3

CHAPTER 13 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Equations of Second Degree and Their Graphs v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

the standard equation of a circle ➜ What is circle using computer software? and how can I investigate a ➜ How do I find the center and radius of a circle by completing the square? standard ➜ What is thean ellipse equation of an ellipse and how can I investigate using computer software? ➜ How do I put the equation of an ellipse into standard form by completing the square? of a hyperbola and ➜ What is theastandard equationcomputer software? how can I investigate hyperbola using ➜ How do I put the equation of a hyperbola into standard form by completing the square? ➜ What are the asymptotes of a hyperbola?

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Circles

The set of all points that are the same distance from a fixed point, called the center, forms a circle. Suppose the center is located at a point (h, k) in a rectangular coordinate system and that all the points on the circle are r units from the center. The distance r is called the radius of the circle. The equation of the circle is as follows:
(x − h)2 + (y − k)2 = r2

Example 13-1: Investigate the circle centered at the origin and having radius equal to 1. Because the circle has its center at the origin, h = 0 and k = 0. And since the radius is equal to 1, r = 1. The equation is therefore x2 + y2 = 1

This circle is often called the unit circle. Four of the points located on this circle are (0, 1), (1, 0), (0, −1), and (−1, 0). It is clear that these points are on the circle and satisfy the equation since the following are true: 02 + 12 = 1, 12 + 02 = 1, 02 + (−1)2 = 1, and (−1)2 + 02 = 1. Notice also that the points do not satisfy the definition of a function since the points (0, 1) and (0, −1) have the same first coordinate but different second coordinates. The set of points that are on a circle do not satisfy the definition of a function. However, if the equation is solved for y, two separate functions are obtained. Solving for y by subtracting x2 from both sides and taking the square root we obtain y= 1 − x2 and y = − 1 − x2

Equations of Second Degree and Their Graphs

169

When computer algebra software such as MAPLE is used to graph a circle, the two separate functions are used. Figure 13-1 shows the command and the graph for the unit circle.

Fig. 13-1

Quick Tip
In Fig. 13-1, note that the upper half of the circle is described by the equation y = 1 - x2 and the lower half of the circle is described by the equation y = - 1 - x2. The upper half represents a function because it satisfies the vertical-line test. That is, any vertical line cuts the graph of the upper half in only one point. Similarly, the lower half of the circle satisfies the vertical-line test.

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Example 13-2: Suppose we are interested in finding some of the points that comprise the circle in Fig. 13-1.
Figure 13-2 shows the Minitab computation for some of the points comprising the circle. Columns C1 and C2 give some of the coordinates for points on the upper half of the circle. Columns C1 and C3 give some of the coordinates for points on the lower half of the circle.

Fig. 13-2

radius r = 2. The equation of this circle is

Example 13-3: Investigate the circle centered at (2, 3) and having
(x − 2)2 + (y − 3)2 = 22 = 4

To obtain an Excel plot, we must solve the equation for y. First, we subtract (x − 2)2 from both sides of the equation to obtain
(y − 3)2 = 4 − (x − 2)2

Equations of Second Degree and Their Graphs

171

Taking the square root of both sides of the equation we find y−3= 4 − (x − 2)2

Finally, adding 3 to both sides, we find y=3 4 − (x − 2)2

The upper half of the circle is given by the equation y = 3 + 4 − (x − 2)2 and the lower half of the circle is given by y = 3 − 4 − (x − 2)2. An Excel plot of the lower half and upper half of the circle is shown in Fig. 13-3. Column A contains the x values from 0 to 4 in steps of 0.1 units. Column B contains the y values for the lower half of the circle and column C contains the y values for the upper half of the circle. From the figure, four points on the circle are

Fig. 13-3

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

easy to determine from the graph. These points are (2, 1), (4, 3), (2, 5), and (0, 3). These points are located at the top and bottom and on the far right and far left sides of the circle. Note that these points are all 2 units from (2, 3), the center of the circle.

Danger!
When you are given the center and radius of a circle and asked to find the equation of the circle, be careful with the signs. Suppose the center is given to be (h, k) = (-4, 5) and the radius as r = 3. The equation is then
[x - (-4)]2 + (y - 5)2 = 32 or (x + 4)2 + (y - 5)2 = 9

Pattern
Sometimes the equation of the circle is given in a form that requires you to perform a completing of the square to find the center and the radius. Example 13-4 illustrates this technique.

Example 13-4: Find the center and radius for the circle whose equation is x2 + y2 − 4x − 6y + 9 = 0

Step 1: Rewrite the equation by gathering the x terms and y terms together as follows:
(x2 − 4x ) + (y2 − 6y) = −9

Step 2: Take half the coefficient of x and square it and add to both sides of the equation:
(x2 − 4x + 4) + (y2 − 6y) = −9 + 4

Step 3: Take half the coefficient of y and square it and add to both sides of the equation:
(x2 − 4x + 4) + (y2 − 6y + 9 ) = −9 + 4 + 9

Equations of Second Degree and Their Graphs

173

Step 4: You have completed the square for the x terms and the y terms as follows:
(x − 2)2 + (y − 3)2 = 4

Now (h, k) = (2, 3), r = 2, and the equation represents a circle with center at (2, 3) and radius 2.

Ellipses
An ellipse is defined as the set of points in a rectangular coordinate system the sum of whose distances from two fixed points is a constant. Each fixed point is called a focus of the ellipse. The orbits of the planets and some of the satellites are near elliptical. The standard form for the equation of an ellipse centered at the origin is x2 y2 + =1 a2 b2

where a > 0, b > 0, and a ≠ b.

Quick Tip
Just as with circles, the points that comprise an ellipse do not satisfy the definition of a function. However, by solving the equation of the ellipse for y we obtain two equations that are functions. They represent the upper half and lower half of the ellipse. The solution for y proceeds as follows. First subtract the term involving x2 from both sides. x2 y2 =1- 2 2 b a

Multiplying both sides by b2 and taking the square root of both sides, we get y= a2b2 - b2x2 and a a2b2 - b2x2 a

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Short Cuts
When software is used to plot ellipses, the equations for the lower and upper halves of the ellipse are used because both represent functions.

Example 13-5: Graph the ellipse given by the equation

y2 = 1. The upper half of the ellipse is given by y = 100 400 − 100x2 and the lower half is given by y = − . An Excel plot is 2 shown in Fig. 13-4.

x2 + 4 400 − 100x2 2

Fig. 13-4

Equations of Second Degree and Their Graphs

175

Note that in Fig. 13-4, the y-intercepts are (0, 10) and (0, −10) and the x-intercepts are (2, 0) and (−2, 0). The x-intercepts may be found x2 y2 by letting y = 0 in the equation + = 1 and solving for x. This 4 100 02 x2 gives + = 1 or x2 = 4. Therefore x = 2. Similarly, if we set 4 100 x = 0 and solve for y, we find that y = 10.

Pattern
The ellipse that is centered at the origin has the standard equation x2 y2 + = 1. The x-intercepts are located at (a, 0) and (-a, 0) and a2 b2 the y-intercepts are located at (0, b) and (0, -b). If the ellipse is centered at (h, k), then the standard equation of the ellipse is
(x - h)2 (y - k)2 + =1 a2 b2

Example 13-6: Find the standard equation for the ellipse that is centered at (2, 4) and for which a = 3 and b = 5. Substituting h = 2, k = 4, a = 3, and b = 5 in the standard equation, we find
(x − 2)2 (y − 4)2 + =1 9 25

If the binomials are squared and the fractions cleared, the equation takes on a different appearance. First, squaring the binomials, we obtain the following: x2 − 4x + 4 y2 − 8y + 16 + =1 9 25

If both sides of this equation are multiplied by 225 to clear the fractions, we obtain:
25(x2 − 4x + 4) + 9(y2 − 8y + 16) = 225

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Simplifying further, we obtain:
25x2 − 100x + 100 + 9y2 − 72y + 144 = 225

Finally, after rearranging terms, we obtain
25x2 + 9y2 − 100x − 72y + 19 = 0

100x − 72y + 19 = 0 and were asked to describe its graph. You would need to put it into standard form in order to describe its graph. The steps to put it into standard form are as follows:

Example 13-7: Suppose you were given the equation 25x2 + 9y2 −

Step 1: Rewrite the equation by gathering the x terms and the y terms together as follows:
(25x2 − 100x) + (9y2 − 72y) = −19

Step 2: Factor the left-hand side as follows:
25(x2 − 4x) + 9(y2 − 8y) = −19

Step 3: Complete the square for the x terms and the y terms as we did in Example 13-4.
25(x2 − 4x + 4) + 9(y2 − 8y + 16) = −19 + 244

Note that 244 needed to be added to the right-hand side since completing the square actually added 25(4) = 100 and 9(16) = 144 to the left-hand side.

Step 4: You have completed the square for the x terms and the y terms as follows:
25(x − 2)2 + 9(y − 4)2 = 225

Step 5: Finally, divide both sides by 225 to obtain the following equation: 25(x − 2)2 9(y − 4)2 225 + = 225 225 225

Equations of Second Degree and Their Graphs

177

Reducing fractions, we obtain:
(x − 2)2 (y − 4)2 + =1 9 25

Comparing this equation to standard form, we see that the ellipse is centered at (2, 4) and that a = 3 and b = 5.

Hyperbolas
A hyperbola is defined to be a set of points in the rectangular coordinate system the difference of whose distances from two fixed points is a constant. The two fixed points are called the foci of the hyperbola. There are two different types of hyperbolas. One type opens up and down and the other type opens right and left. First we will consider hyperbolas with center at the origin. The standard equations for such hyperbolas are x2 y2 − =1 a2 b2 or y2 x2 − =1 b2 a2

Example 13-8: Investigate the hyperbola

y2 x2 − = 1. First, 16 4 solve for the two halves of the hyperbola by solving the equation of the hyperbola for y. Solving for y2 and then taking the square roots 1+ x2 and y = −4 4 1+ x2 . 4

we obtain y = 4

These equations were used to compute the y-values shown in columns B and C in the Excel spreadsheet in Fig. 13-5.The Excel plot of the points is shown in the same figure. This hyperbola opens up and down. Note that the y-intercepts are (0, −4) and (0, 4). The upper x2 and 4 the lower half of the hyperbola is described by the equation y = half of the hyperbola is described by the equation y = 4 x2 . 4 1+ −4 1+

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Fig. 13-5

Pattern x2 y2 = 1 has x-intercepts (- a, 0) and (a, 0). The a2 b2 y2 x2 hyperbola 2 - 2 = 1 has y-intercepts (0, - b) and (0, b). If the b a hyperbola has center at (h, k), the standard form for the equations are (x - h)2 (y - k)2 (y - k)2 (x - h)2 = 1 and = 1. a2 b2 b2 a2 The hyperbola

Equations of Second Degree and Their Graphs

179

Asymptotes for Hyperbolas
Hyperbolas centered at the origin have equations of the form x2 − a2 y2 y2 x2 = 1 or 2 − 2 = 1. These hyperbolas have asymptotes given by 2 b b a b the equations y = x. To understand what an asymptote is cona sider the following example. x2 y2 − = 1 discussed in Example 16 4 13-8 and graphed in Fig. 13-5 is discussed further in this example. Note that a2 = 4 and b2 = 16 and therefore a = 2 and b = 4. The equa4 tions of the asymptotes are y = x or y = 2x. The Excel spread2 sheet shown in Fig. 13-6 gives the values for the upper and lower halves of the hyperbola as well as values on the lines y = 2x and y = −2x. Note that as the x values increase in the positive direction that the upper half values get closer to the values on the line y = 2x. As the x values get smaller in the negative direction, the lower half values get closer to the values on the line y = −2x. The values on the hyperbola get closer and closer to the lines y = 2x, but never touch the lines. We say that the lines are asymptotes for the hyperbola. This is also shown in the graph in Fig. 13-6.

Example 13-9: The hyperbola

and give the center and the values for a and b. 4x2 − y2 − 8x + 6y − 21 = 0. The steps to put it into standard form are as follows:

Example 13-10: Write the following hyperbola in standard form

Step 1: Rewrite the equation by gathering the x terms and the y terms together as follows:
(4x2 − 8x) − (y2 − 6y) = 21

Step 2: Factor the left-hand side as follows:
4(x2 − 2x) − (y2 − 6y) = 21

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Fig. 13-6

Step 3: Complete the square for the x terms and the y terms as we did in Examples 13-4 and 13-7.
4(x2 − 2x + 1) − (y2 − 6y + 9) = 21 + 4 − 9

Step 4: You have completed the square for the x terms and the y terms as follows:
4(x − 1)2 − (y − 3)2 = 16

Step 5: Finally, divide both sides by 16 to obtain the following equation: 4(x − 1)2 (y − 3)2 16 − = 16 16 16

Equations of Second Degree and Their Graphs

181

Reducing fractions, we obtain
(x − 1)2 (y − 3)2 − =1 4 16

Comparing this equation to standard form, we see that the hyperbola is centered at (1, 3) and that a = 2 and b = 4.

Parabolas
Parabolas are also described by equations of the second degree. We have previously discussed parabolas and their properties in Chapter 9.

Don’t Forget
A circle having center at (h, k) and radius r has equation (x - h)2 + (y - k)2 = r2. The unit circle is centered at the origin and has radius equal to 1. The equation of the unit circle is x2 + y2 = 1. The standard form for the equation of an ellipse centered at the origin is x2 y2 + = 1, where a > 0, b > 0, and a π b. a2 b2 If the ellipse is centered at (h, k), then the standard equation of the ellipse (x - h)2 (y - k)2 is + = 1. a2 b2 The standard form for the equation of a hyperbola centered at the origin is x2 y2 y2 x2 - 2 = 1 or 2 - 2 = 1. a2 b b a If the hyperbola has center at (h, k), the standard form for the equations (x - h)2 (y - k)2 (y - k)2 (x - h)2 are = 1 and = 1. 2 2 a b b2 a2 The asymptotes for a hyperbola centered at the origin are y = ± b x. a

182
Questions
Test Yourself

ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

1. Find the equation of the circle centered at (2, −2) having radius equal to 2. 2. Find the equation of the ellipse centered at (− 3, − 2) with a = 2 and b = 4. 3. Find the equation of the hyperbola that faces right and left with center (2, −2) and having a = 1 and b = 2. Give the equations for the asymptotes. 4. Write the following equation that represents a circle in standard form and give the center and radius of the circle. x2 + 6x + y2 − 10y − 2 = 0

5. Write the following equation that represents an ellipse in standard form. Give the center, and the values for a and b.
4x2 − 16x + 9y2 + 36y + 16 = 0

6. Write the following equation that represents a hyperbola in standard form, give the center, the values for a and b, and the equations of the asymptotes.
16y2 − 192y − 9x2 − 54x + 351 = 0

Answers
1. x2 + y2 − 4x + 4y + 4 = 0. 2. 16x2 + 4y2 + 96x + 16y + 96 = 0. 3. 4x2 − y2 − 16x − 4y + 8 = 0; asymptotes: y = 2x and y = −2x. 4. (x + 3)2 + (y − 5)2 = 36; center = (−3, 5); radius = 6. 5. 6. (x − 2)2 (y + 2)2 + = 1; center = (2, −2); a = 3, b = 2. 9 4 (y − 6)2 x + 3)2 −( = 1; center = (−3, 6); a = 4, b = 3; asymptotes: 9 16 3 y= x. 4

CHAPTER 14 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Sequences and Series v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

➜ What are a sequence and a series and what is summation notation? ➜ What are the properties of arithmetic sequences and series? ➜ What are the properties of geometric sequences and series? series, when does ➜ What is an infinite geometric find the sum? it have a sum, and if it has a sum, how can I ➜ What are the formulas for summing powers of natural numbers?

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Sequences and Series

Example 14-1: When purchasing a home, most Americans secure a loan from a bank or some other financial institution. The loan is repayed as a sequence of payments. Consider a loan that is being repayed monthly for 15 years with monthly payments of $750. We represent this sequence of payments as follows. The first term in the sequence of payments is represented by a1, the second term is represented by a2, and the last term or payment would be a180. We represernt this sequence as follows: a1 = 750, a2 = 750, , a180 = 750

The sum of all the payments is called a series and is represented by the following summation notation: n = 180

an = a1 + a2 +

+ a180 = 750 + 750 +

+ 750 = 180(750) = $135,000

n=1

Example 14-2: In algebra, many different sequences and series are encountered. If a1 = 1, a2 = 4, a3 = 9, and a4 = 16, then an expres-

Sequences and Series

185

sion for the nth term would be an = n2. The series consisting of the sum of the first five terms would be n=5 an =

n=5

n2 = 1 + 4 + 9 + 16 + 25 = 55

n=1

n=1

Arithmetic Sequences and Series
Example 14-3: A rod pyramid consists of 40 steel reinforcing rods (used to increase concrete strength) on the bottom row, followed by 39 rods in the row above that row, 38 rods in the next row above, and so forth, until the last row that has only 1 rod. If we let a1 be the number of rods in the top row, a2 be the number of rods in the second row from the top, and so forth, the we have the sequence a1 = 1, a2 = 2, , a40 = 40

The general term is an = n. Suppose we wish to find the total number of rods in the pyramid. If Sn represents the sum of the first n rows, then the sum in the 40 rows is
S40 = 1 + 2 + 3 + + 40

This sum may be found by using a calculator to add the 40 numbers or by observing the following mathematical trick. Write the sum forward and backward and then add both sides as follows:
S40 = 1 + 2 + 3 + S40 = 40 + 39 + 38 + 2S40 = 41 + 41 + 41 + 2S40 = 40(41) S40 = 20(41) = 820 + 40 +1 + 41

Example 14-3 is an example of an arithmetic sequence. In general, an arithmetic sequence is a sequence of numbers in which each term after the first is obtained by adding a constant d to the preceding term. The constant d is called the common difference. Sup-

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

pose a represents the first term of the sequence. The terms of the sequence are as follows: a1 = a a2 = a1 + d = a + d a3 = a2 + d = (a + d) + d = a + 2d a4 = a3 + d = (a + 2d) + d = a + 3d an = an − 1 + d = [a + (n − 2)d] + d = a + (n − 1)d

Summarizing, the nth term of an arithmetic sequence with first term a and common difference d is an = a + (n − 1)d

The sum of an arithmetic sequence is
Sn = a + (a + d) + (a + 2d) + + [a + (n − 1)d]

Using the technique illustrated in Example 14-3, we write the expression for Sn forward and backward and then add term by term as follows:
Sn = a + (a + d) + (a + 2d) + + [a + (n − 1)d] +a + [2a + (n − 1)d]

Sn = [a + (n − 1)d] + [a + (n − 2)d] + 2Sn = [2a + (n − 1)d] + [2a + (n − 1)d] + 2Sn = n[2a + (n − 1)d] Sn = n [2a + (n − 1)d] 2

14-3 with a = 1, d = 1, and n = 40. Using the formula, we find that S40 = 20[2(1) + (40 − 1)(1)] = 20[2 + 39] = 20[41] = 820, the same answer obtained in Example 14-3.

Example 14-4: Suppose we apply this formula for Sn to Example

Example 14-5: A manufacturer of compact discs sold 100,000 during their first quarter of operation. If sales increased 50,000 per quarter for the next 4 years, what was the total number sold during these 17 quarters?

Sequences and Series

187

The sales over the 17 quarters forms an arithmetic sequence with a = 100,000 and d = 50,000. The number sold over the 17 quarters is given by S17.
S17 = 17 [2(100,000) + (17 − 1)50,000] = 8,500,000 2

Geometric Sequences and Series
Example 14-6: The formula for compound interest is
A = P (1 + r)n

where A is the amount present after n years when principal P dollars is invested at an interest rate r, compounded yearly for n years. An annuity works as follows. Starting on January 1, 2000, one thousand dollars is deposited in an account each January first for 10 years. The account pays 5% interest per year for each of the 10 years. What is the future value of the annuity on January 1, 2010? Table 14-1 shows how the annuity works. Table 14-1 Annuity
VALUE OF THIS DEPOSIT ON JANUARY 1, 2010

DATE FOR DEPOSIT OF $1000

January 1, 2000 January 1, 2001 January 1, 2002 January 1, 2003 January 1, 2004 January 1, 2005 January 1, 2006 January 1, 2007 January 1, 2008 January 1, 2009

1000(1.05)10 = 1628.89462 1000(1.05)9 = 1551.32822 1000(1.05)8 = 1477.45544 1000(1.05)7 = 1407.10042 1000(1.05)6 = 1340.09564 1000(1.05)5 = 1276.28156 1000(1.05)4 = 1215.50625 1000(1.05)3 = 1157.62500 1000(1.05)2 = 1102.50000 1000(1.05)1 = 1050.00000 Total value = 13,206.78715

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

The values in the second column of Table 14-1 form a geometric series. Listing the values from bottom to top, we have the following: a1 = 1000(1.05), a2 = 1000(1.05)(1.05), a3 = 1000(1.05)(1.05)2, , a10 = 1000(1.05)(1.05)9

If we let a = 1000(1.05) and r = 1.05, then the nth term is given by an = arn − 1 for n = 1 through 10. Such a sequence with first term a and a common ratio r is called a geometric sequence. The general term of a geometric sequence is an = ar n − 1

Now, consider the sum of the annuity. The sum of the 10 terms is
S10 = 1000(1.05) + 1000(1.05)2 + + 1000(1.05)10 = 13,206.78715

It is possible to derive an expression for the sum of the n terms of a geometric sequence. The sum may be shown to equal
Sn = a(1 − rn) ,r≠1 1−r na,r = 1

Applying this to the annuity described in Example 14-6, we have r = 1.05, a = 1000(1.05) = 1050, n = 10.
S10 = 1050(1 − 1.0510) 1050(−0.628895) = = $13,206.79 −0.05 1 − 1.05

Example 14-7: BooksPlus.com sold 5000 books in January and the number sold increased by 10% over the previous month for the next 11 months. What is the total number sold over the whole year? Table 14-2 gives the number sold for each of the 12 months as well as the total for the year. From Table 14-2, we see that the monthly book sales is a geometric sequence with first term a = 5000 and common ratio r = 1.1.The sales for month n is given by an = 5000(1.1)n − 1. The sum of the sales for n a(1 − rn) months is given by Sn = . The yearly sales is given by S12. 1−r

Sequences and Series

189
Monthly Book Sales for Bookplus.com
BOOKS SOLD THIS MONTH

Table 14-2
MONTH

January February March April May June July August September October November December

5000 5000(1.1) = 5500 5000(1.1)2 = 6050 5000(1.1)3 = 6655 5000(1.1)4 = 7321 5000(1.1)5 = 8053 5000(1.1)6 = 8858 5000(1.1)7 = 9744 5000(1.1)8 = 10,718 5000(1.1)9 = 11,790 5000(1.1)10 = 12,969 5000(1.1)11 = 14,266 Total sales for the year = 106,924

S12 =

5000(1 − 1.112) 5000(− 2.138428) = = 106,921 −0.1 1 − 1.1

The difference, three books, between the sum given in the table and the sum given by the formula for S12 is due to round-off error.

Pattern
Carefully note the difference between an arithmetic sequence and a geometric sequence. For an arithmetic sequence, adding the common difference to any term gives the following term in the sequence. For a geometric sequence, multiplying any term by the common ratio gives the following term in the sequence.

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

Sum of an Infinite Geometric Sequence
Quick Tip
Example 14-8: Repeating decimals are related to the concept of a geometric series. Consider for example the repeating decimal 0.3535353535 This repeating decimal may be written as follows.
0.35 + 0.0035 + 0.000035 + 0.00000035 +

This is a geometric series with first term a = 0.35 and common ratio r = 0.01. However, this series is infinite. That is, it does not have a last term. We call such a geometric series an infinite geometric series. If we were to apply the sum formula to the first n terms, we would obtain the following:
Sn = 0.35(1 - 0.01n) 0.35(1 - 0.01n) = 1 - 0.01 0.99

Note that when n is large, 0.01n is very small and Sn is close to the fraction 0.35/0.99 or 35/99. In fact, if you convert the fraction 35/99 to its decimal equivalent you get 0.3535353535 This discussion is generalized as follows. Suppose the absolute value of r is less than 1. The sum of the infinite geometric sequence a, ar, ar2, is equal to
S∞ = a 1-r

Danger!
When using the formula for S∞, remember that it is only valid when the absolute value of r is less than 1. Otherwise, the infinite series will diverge. That is, the series will not have a finite sum.

Example 14-9: Is it possible to invest a fixed amount of money that will provide yearly income forever? Yes. The financial term for such an investment is called a perpetuity. A perpetuity makes use of an infinite geometric series. How many dollars must you invest to accumulate A dollars after n years. The answer is found by solving

Sequences and Series

191

the equation A = P(1 + r)n for P. The solution is found by dividing both sides of the equation by the term (1 + r)n. Solving for P, we find
P= 1 n A 1+r

1 n ) is called the discount function. For example to 1+r have $200 after 10 years at a yearly rate of 5%, you must invest the 1 following (note that = 0.95238095): 1.05 The term (
P = (0.95238095)10(200) = (0.613913254)(200) = $122.78

Table 14-3 shows similar calculations for 1 through 10 years. Table 14-3 Developing a Perpetuity
AMOUNT YOU NEED TO INVEST NOW TO HAVE $200 AFTER n YEARS

YEARS (n)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

(0.95238095)1(200) = 190.48 (0.95238095)2(200) = 181.41 (0.95238095)3(200) = 172.77 (0.95238095)4(200) = 164.54 (0.95238095)5(200) = 156.71 (0.95238095)6(200) = 149.24 (0.95238095)7(200) = 142.14 (0.95238095)8(200) = 135.37 (0.95238095)9(200) = 128.92 (0.95238095)10(200) = 122.78

If we extend the pattern in Table 14-3, we see that to collect $200 at the end of each year forever, we would need to invest
(0.95238095)1(200) + (0.95238095)2(200) + (0.95238095)3(200) +

+ (0.95238095)10(200) +

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

We recognize this as an infinite geometric series with first term a = (0.95238095)1(200) and common ratio r = 0.95238095. The sum is
S∞ = (0.95238095)(200) a = = $4000 1−r 1 − 0.95238095

That is, with 5% interest compounded yearly guaranteed forever, $4000 would provide you with $200 every year forever. The general result for such a perpetuity is as follows: If you wish to collect D dollars per year forever and you are guaranteed rate r per year (r expressed in decimal form) then you must invest D/r now. To have a yearly income of $100,000 with 5% interest rate for example, you would need to put 100,000/(0.05) = $2,000,000 into the perpetuity.

Summing Powers of Natural Numbers
The following three series are found to be useful in calculus and other mathematics courses.
1+2+ 1 2 + 22 + 13 + 23 + +n= + n2 = + n3 = n(n + 1) 2 n(n + 1)(2n + 1) 6 n2(n + 1)2 4

Example 14-10: Find the sum of the first 1000 natural numbers, the sum of the squares of the first 1000 natural numbers, and the sum of the cubes of the first 1000 natural numbers. Substituting 1000 for n in the above formulas, we find
1+2+ 1 2 + 22 + 13 + 2 3 + + 1000 = + 10002 = + 10003 = 1000(1001) = 500,500 2 1000(1001)(2001) = 333,833,500 6 10002(1001)2 = 250,500,250,000 4

Sequences and Series

193

To truly appreciate the usefulness of these formulas, try to verify these results by using a calculator but not the shortcut formulas for the sums.

Don’t Forget
An arithmetic sequence is a sequence of numbers in which each term after the first is obtained by adding a constant d to the preceding term. The sequence may be written as a, a + d, a + 2d, . . . , a + (n - 1)d. The nth term is an = a + (n - 1)d. The sum of an arithmetic sequence is Sn = n [2a + (n - 1)d]. 2 A geometric sequence is a sequence of numbers in which each term after the first is obtained by multiplying the preceding term by a constant r. The constant r is called the common ratio. The sequence may be written as a, ar, ar2, . . . , arn - 1. The nth term is an = arn - 1. The sum of a geometric a(1 - rn) , r π 1 and Sn = na, r = 1. series is Sn = 1-r Provided the absolute value of r is less than 1, an infinite geometric series a . has a sum given by S∞ = 1-r The following formulas may be used to sum powers of natural numbers. n (n + 1) 1+2+...+n=
2 n (n + 1)(2n + 1) 12 + 22 + . . . + n2 = 6 2 n (n + 1)2 13 + 23 + . . . + n3 = 4

Questions
Test Yourself 1. Give the values for a, d, a10, and S10 for the following arithmetic sequences: (a) 13, 15, 17, . . . ; (b) 1, 7, 13, . . . ; (c) 5, 3, 1, . . . 2. Give the values for a, r, a10, and S10 for the following geometric sequences: (a) 2, 1, 0.5, . . . ; (b) 2, 6, 18, . . . ; (c) 4, −8, 16, . . .

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3. Starting on January 1, 2000, $5000 is deposited in an account each January first for 15 years. The account pays 6% per year for each of the 15 years. What is the value of the annuity on January 1, 2015? 4. Find S∞ for each of the following infinite geometric sequences: (a) 2, 1, 0.5, . . . ; (b) 2, −1, 0.5, . . . ; (c) 1, 0.25, 0.0625, . . . 5. How much money must be put into a perpetuity now in order to receive $50,000 per year forever if a yearly compound interest rate of 6.5% covering the perpetuity is available? 6. Find the sum, the sum of the squares, and the sum of the cubes for the first 250 natural numbers.

Answers
1. (a) a = 13, d = 2, a10 = 13 + (10 − 1)(2) = 31, S10 = 220. (b) a = 1, d = 6, a10 = 1 + (10 − 1)(6) = 55, S10 = 280. (c) a = 5, d = −2, a10 = 5 + (10 − 1)(−2) = −13, S10 = −40. 2. (a) a = 2, r = 0.5, a10 = 2(0.5)9 = 0.00390625, S10 = 3.99609375. (b) a = 2, r = 3, a10 = 2(3)9 = 39,366, S10 = 59,048. (c) a = 4, r = −2, a10 = 4(−2)9 = −2,048, S10 = −1,364. 3. $123,362.64 4. (a) 4; 6. 784,375; (b) 1.333333; 5,239,625; (c) 1.333333 984,390,625 5. $769,230.77

CHAPTER 15 v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Combinatorics, Binomial Series, and Probability v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

permutations ➜ What areto find them? and combinations and what formulas are used ➜ What is a binomial series? ➜ What are binomial coefficients and how can Pascal’s triangle be used to find them? ➜ What are experiments, sample spaces, and events? ➜ What are the set operations union, intersection, and complement? ➜ What is probability? ➜ How do I compute probabilities of events using the classical definition of probability?

v v v

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Combinations and Permutations
Often we are interested in the number of ways we can select a subset of objects from a larger set of objects. If the order of the selected objects is of importance to us, then we are interested in the number of possible arrangements or permutations that are possible. If the order of the selected objects is not important to us, then we are interested in the number of possible selections or combinations. Example 15-1 illustrates the difference in these two concepts.

Example 15-1: Suppose we select two aces from the four aces in a deck of cards. Table 15-1 shows the 12 ordered pairs that are possible. If the order within a pair is not important, then the number of selections possible is 6. Note that the 12 arrangements are divided into 6 pairs. The cards within each pair are the same two cards, just listed in different order. There are 12 permutations and 6 combinations possible when 2 of the 4 aces are selected.

Table 15-1
Ap Ao An Ao

All 12 Possible Ordered Pairs from the Four Aces
Ao Ap Ao An Ap An Ao Am An Ap Am Ao Ap Am An Am Am Ap Am An

Example 15-2: Suppose we select three aces from the four aces in a deck of cards. Table 15-2 shows the 24 ordered 3-tuples that are possible. If the order within a 3-tuple is not important, then the number of selections possible is 4. There are 4 sets of six 3-tuples each, but the six 3-tuples within each set represent the same basic selection. There are 24 permutations and 4 combinations possible when 3 of the 4 aces are selected.

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197

Table 15-2
Ap Ap An An Ao Ao Ap Ap Ao Ao Am Am

All Possible Ordered Triples from the Four Aces
Ao An Ap Ao Ap An Ao Am Ap Am Ap Ao An Ao Ao Ap An Ap Am Ao Am Ap Ao Ap Ap Ap An An Am Am Ao Ao Am Am An An An Am Ap Am An Ap Am An Ao An Ao Am Am An Am Ap Ap An An Am An Ao Am Ao

Quick Tip
Remember! When counting the number of ways you may choose a subset of items from a larger set of items, if the order of selection is an important consideration, then you are interested in arrangements or permutations. When the order of selection is not an important consideration, then you are interested in the number of selections or combinations.

Pattern
When n objects are selected from N distinct objects, the number of permutations possible is represented by the symbol P (N, n) and the number of combinations possible is represented by the symbol C(N, n). The following formulas may be used to evaluate the number of possible permutations and combinations:
P (N,n) = N! (N - n)! and C(N,n) = N! n!(N - n)!

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ALGEBRA FOR THE UTTERLY CONFUSED

The product of the natural numbers from n to 1, that is, n(n - 1)(n - 2) 1, is called n factorial and is represented by the symbol n!.

Example 15-3: Suppose we use these formulas rather than enu-

meration to work Examples 15-1 and 15-2. With N = 4(the number of aces in the deck) and n = 2(the number of aces we choose), we find the number of permutations and combinations to be
P(4,2) = 4(3)(2)(1) 4! = = 12 2(1) (4 − 2)!

and
C(4,2) = 4(3)(2)(1) 4! = =6 2(1)2(1) 2!(4 − 2)!

With N = 4 and n = 3, we find
P(4,3) = 4(3)(2)(1) 4! = = 24 1 (4 − 3)!

and
C(4,3) = 4(3)(2)(1) 4! = =4 3!(4 − 3)! 3(2)(1)(1)

These are the same answers that we found when we listed all the possibilities for Examples 15-1 and 15-2.

Example 15-4: A five-card poker hand is dealt from a deck of 52 cards. How many different hands are possible. The order of the cards in a poker hand is not important when playing poker. Therefore the answer is found by finding the number of combinations possible when 5 cards are selected from 52. The answer is

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199

C(52,5) =

52! 52(51)(50)(49)(48)47! 52(51)(50)(49)(48) = = 120(47!) 5!47! 120 = 311,875,200 = 2,598,960 120

Short Cuts
Note in Example 15-4 that expressing 52! as 52(51)(50)(49)(48)47! allows you to divide out the term 47! that appears in the numerator and denominator.

Danger!
When using the factorial button on a calculator (x!), be aware that numbers larger than 69! will result in an error. The factorial function cannot be used for numbers larger than 69!

Example 15-5: In the Pick5 lottery, you select 5 numbers from the numbers 1 through 30. How many ways can you select 5 numbers from 30? The order of selection is not important in this lottery. The answer is given by
C(30,5) = 30(29)(28)(27)(26)(25!) 30! = 5!25! 5!25! = 30(29)(28)(27)(26) = 142,506 120

Example 15-6: During the later part of 1999, the following individuals were listed as the ones Republicans preferred as their presidential nominees: George W. Bush, John McCain, Steve Forbes, Orrin Hatch, Alan Keyes, and Gary Bauer. If the president/vice

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president slate came from this group, how many such slates are possible? The number of possible slates is
P(6,2) = 6! 6! = = 30 (6 − 2)! 4!

All the possible slates are listed in Table 15-3. The order of the pairs of individuals is clearly important in this example. Table 15-3
Bush McCain McCain Bush Forbes Bush Hatch Bush Keyes Bush Bauer Bush

Possible President/Vice President Slates in Late 1999
Bush Forbes McCain Forbes Forbes McCain Hatch McCain Keyes McCain Bauer McCain Bush Hatch McCain Hatch Forbes Hatch Hatch Forbes Keyes Forbes Bauer Forbes Bush Keyes McCain Keyes Forbes Keyes Hatch Keyes Keyes Hatch Bauer Hatch Bush Bauer McCain Bauer Forbes Bauer Hatch Bauer Keyes Bauer Bauer Keyes

Binomial Series
The goal of this section is to give a systematic method for expanding the binomial (a + b) to the nth power, that is, (a + b)n. The binomial theorem states that the expansion for (a + b)n is
(a + b)n = C(n, 0)an + C(n, 1)an − 1b + C(n, 2)an − 2b2 + . . . + C(n, n)bn

Table 15-4 gives expansions for (a + b)n for n = 0 through 5. The binomial coefficients, shown in bold in the table, form a pattern called Pascal’s triangle. Any row after the second will have a 1 at the

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beginning and the end of the row. Furthermore, the coefficients between the ones at the beginning and the end of the row may be found by adding the two coefficients immediately above. Table 15-4 n=5
(a + b)0 (a + b)1 (a + b)2 (a + b)3 (a + b)4 (a + b)5

Binomial Expansions for n = 0 through

1 1a + 1b 1a2 + 2ab + 1b2 1a3 + 3a2b + 3ab2 + 1b3 1a4 + 4a3b + 6a2b2 + 4ab3 + 1b4 5 1a + 5a4b + 10a3b2 + 10a2b3 + 5ab4 + 1b5

The row for (a + b)6 would be formed as follows. First write down the coefficients for (a + b)5.
1 5 10 10 5 1

1

6

15

20

15

6

1

The 6 is found by adding 1 and 5, the 15 is found by adding the 5 and the 10, and so forth. The row corresponding to (a + b)7 would be found as follows.
1 1 7 6 21 15 35 20 35 15 21 6 7 1 1

It is also of interest to note for the row corresponding to (a + b)3 in Table 15-4 that
C(3, 0) = 1 C(3, 1) = 3 C(3, 2) = 3 C(3, 3) = 1

A similar relationship holds for any row of Pascal’s triangle.

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Pattern
The following relationship holds for any set of binomial coefficients:
C(n, 0) + C(n, 1) + C(n, 2) + . . . + C(n, n) = 2n

(a + b)7 are

Example 15-7: The binomial coefficients for the expansion of
C(7, 0) = 1, C(7, 1) = 7, C(7, 2) = 21, C(7, 3) = 35, C(7, 4) = 35, C(7, 5) = 21, C(7, 6) = 7, C(7, 7) = 1

The sum of these binomial coefficients is
1 + 7 + 21 + 35 + 35 + 21 + 7 + 1 = 128

Note that 27 = 128.

Example 15-8: Use the binomial expansion for (a + b)4 to expand
(2x2 − 4y)4. The binomial expansion for (a + b)4 is
(a + b)4 = 1a4 + 4a3b + 6a2b2 + 4ab3 + 1b4

To expand (2x2 − 4y)4 we let a = 2x2 and b = −4y in the expansion for (a + b)4.Applying the laws of exponents, we find that a2 = 4x4, a3 = 8x6, and a4 = 16x8. Similarly, we find that b2 = 16y2, b3 = −64y3, and b4 = 256y4. Now, by carefully putting the various parts of the puzzle together, we get:
(2x2 − 4y)4 = 16x8 + 4(8x6)(−4y) + 6(4x4)(16y2) + 4(2x2)(−64y3) + 256y4 (2x2 − 4y)4 = 16x8 − 128x6y + 384x4y2 − 512x2y3 + 256y4

To help students get a feel for an expansion such as this, I suggest that they try putting in some values for x and y. For example if x = 1 and y = 1, the left-hand side of the equation becomes (−2)4 = 16. The

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right-hand side of the equation becomes 16 − 128 + 384 − 512 + 256 = 16 and we obtain the same result.

Experiments, Sample Spaces, and Events
Probability is a concept that many of us are familiar with because of its use in everyday conversation. Weather forecasts often are stated with a certain probability associated with precipitation. We may read that it is highly likely (high probability) that the president will veto a certain piece of legislation. We may hear on a news program that it is unlikely (low probability) that the chairman of the federal reserve will raise interest rates. This section will introduce some basic definitions and concepts needed to define probability. An experiment is defined as any operation or procedure whose outcomes cannot be predicted with certainty. The sample space is defined as the set of all possible outcomes for an experiment. An event is any subset of the sample space. These definitions will now be illustrated with some examples.

Example 15-9: For the experiment of rolling a die and observing the number on the side that faces up, give the sample space S. The letter E represents the event that the side facing up is a prime number. S and E can be visualized as follows:

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Example 15-10: Three coins are flipped and the turned-up side is noted ( head or tail).The sample space is given in Fig. 15-1.The sample space is represented by a tree diagram. The branches of the tree are formed by connecting the side that turned up for each coin by an arrow. The branches of the tree are the potential outcomes for the experiment. The event that all three coins show the same side is represented by the letter A and A = {HHH, TTT}. The event that at least two heads occur in the three tosses is represented by the letter B and B = {HHT, HTH, THH, HHH}.

Fig. 15-1

Example 15-11: A pair of dice are rolled. The Excel plot shown in Fig. 15-2 illustrates how the sample space may be represented as a set of rectangular coordinates. The point (1, 1) represents the outcome that a 1 appeared on each of the dice. The point (2, 4) repre-

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sents the outcome that a 2 turned up on die 1 and a 4 turned up on die 2, and so forth. Suppose A represents the event that the sum of the dice equals 7 and B represents the event that a 3 appeared on die 1. The event A is composed of the 6 outcomes (1, 6), (2, 5), (3, 4), (4, 3), (5, 2), and (6, 1), since the sum equals 7 for each of these outcomes. That is, we may express A as follows:
A = {(1, 6), (2, 5), (3, 4), (4, 3), (5, 2), (6, 1)}

Similarly B may be expressed as follows:
B = {(3, 1), (3, 2), (3, 3), (3, 4), (3, 5), (3, 6)}

Note that for each point in B, a 3 occurred on die 1.

Fig. 15-2

Combining Events
Because events are sets, set operations may be performed on events. The union of events A and B consists of those outcomes that

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belong to A, B, or both A and B and it is denoted by A B. The intersection of events A and B consists of those outcomes that belong to both A and B and it is denoted by A B. The complement of A consists of all the points in the sample space not in A and is denoted by Ac.

Example 15-12: An experiment consists of selecting 1 card from a standard deck of 52 cards. The sample space S may be represented as illustrated in Fig. 15-3. The gray portion of the figure represents the event A that a face card is drawn.

Fig. 15-3 The event B that a club is drawn is the gray portion in Fig. 15-4.

Fig. 15-4 The event A B that a face card or a club was drawn is the gray portion in Fig. 15-5.

Fig. 15-5

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The event A B that a face card and a club are drawn is shaded in gray in Fig. 15-6.

Fig. 15-6 The event Ac, that the card drawn is not a face card is the gray portion in Fig. 15-7.

Fig. 15-7

Basic Definitions of Probability
The probability of an event associated with an experiment is a measure of the likelihood that the event will occur when the experiment is performed. If E represents an event associated with some experiment, we use the symbol P(E) to represent the probability of the event E. When we encounter an event that cannot occur, we refer to such an event as an impossible event. Some examples of impossible events are as follows: rolling a pair of dice and getting a sum equal to 13, tossing two coins and observing that three heads occur, and selecting a card from a standard deck and observing the number 11 on the card. The Greek letter φ is often used to represent an impossible event. Because an impossible event cannot occur, we require

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the probability associated with an impossible event to be zero. We sometimes take this as an axiom for a probability measure.
P(φ) = 0

Because the sample space S contains all possible outcomes for an experiment, we are certain that one of the outcomes in S will occur when we perform the experiment. Because we are certain that some outcome in S will occur, we require that the probability associated with S equal 1.
P(S) = 1

Most events associated with an experiment are neither impossible nor certain. Therefore most events will have a probability between 0 and 1. For any event E associated with an experiment, we require the following to be true (the equal signs are included since E might be either the impossible event or S):
0 ≤ P(E) ≤ 1

There are many definitions of probability. We shall consider three commonly used definitions. They are sometimes referred to as the classical definition, the relative frequency definition, and the subjective definition. The classical definition of probability assumes a finite number of equally likely outcomes for an experiment. This definition will be discussed in more detail in the next section. The relative frequency definition of probability does not assume equally likely outcomes but assumes that the experiment may be repeated any number of times. If an experiment is conducted n times and the event E occurs n(E) times in the n repetitions of the experiment, then the probability assigned to E is given by the following:
P(E) = n(E)/n

The primary shortcoming of the relative frequency definition of probability is that different answers are often obtained for the prob-

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209

ability of an event. Because of this, we often refer to the obtained probability as the approximate probability of an event.

Example 15-13: A bent coin is tossed 50 times and a head turns up on 32 of the tosses. What probability would the relative frequency definition assign to the event that a head appears on a single toss of the coin? The experiment consists of tossing the coin once. We are interested in the event that a head turns up when the coin is tossed. In this example n = 50 and n(E) = 32. The probability of a head appear32 ing on a single toss is approximately = .64. 50

Example 15-14: In a national survey of 5000 households having a child under 1 year of age, it was found that 4050 of the children under 1 year of age in the survey were constrained by a safety belt when traveling in a car. On the basis of this survey and using the relative frequency definition of probability, what is the probability that a child under 1 year of age will be constrained by a safety belt when traveling by car?
The experiment consisted of observing whether a child under 1 year of age and traveling in a car was constrained by a safety belt. Of the 5000 observed, 4050 were constrained by a safety belt and 4050 the probability is approximately = .81. 5000 The subjective definition of probability may be appropriate when neither the classical definition nor the relative frequency definition is appropriate.The subjective definition of probability utilizes experience, intuition, brainstorming sessions, and any available information to assign probabilities.

Example 15-15: An oncologist tells a patient that there is a 90% probability that cancer surgery will be successful.The doctor is assigning a subjective probability of .90 to the event that cancer surgery will be successful for this patient. A military leader states that there is a 10% chance that nuclear weapons will be used in a war within the next 5 years. The military leader is assigning a subjective probability

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of .10 to the event that nuclear weapons will be used in this conflict. Notice in both of these scenarios that neither the classical nor the relative frequency definitions of probability are appropriate.

Finite Probability Spaces with Equally Likely Outcomes
A finite probability space consists of a sample space with a finite number of outcomes. That is, S = {O1, O2, , Ok} and each outcome Oi has associated with it a nonnegative number Pi called the probability of the outcome. The sum of the Pi is equal to 1. If the k outcomes in S are equally likely, then each Pi will equal 1/k. The classical definition of probability assumes a finite probability space with equally likely outcomes. When we have a finite probability space with equally likely outcomes, then the probability of any event E is found as follows:
P(E) = number of outcomes in E number of outcomes in S

Solving Probability Problems Having Equally Likely Outcomes
Example 15-16: The balanced token shown below is tossed twice. The side shown on the left is called tails and the side shown on the right is called heads.

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A symbolic representation of the sample space might be as follows.
S = {TT, TH, HT, HH}

Each of the four outcomes is equally likely because the token is balanced. Let E be the event that at least one tail occurred.

Or, we may express E as E = {TT, TH, HT} and P(E) = 3 number of outcomes in E = = .75. The event that the same side number of outcomes in S 4 turned up on both tosses is composed of HH and TT and has probability of .50.

Example 15-17: In the game of poker, a royal flush consists of the ace, king, queen, jack, and 10 of the same suit (hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades). Table 15-5 shows the four possible royal flushes in rows 1 through 4. In Example 15-4, we found that there are 2,598,960 possible hands when 5 cards are dealt from a deck of 52. Four of the 2,598,960 hands constitute a royal flush.
Table 15-5 Royal Flush in the Game of Poker
10p 10o 10n 10m Jp Jo Jn Jm Qp Qo Qn Qm Kp Ko Kn Km Ap Ao An Am

Clubs royal flush Diamonds royal flush Hearts royal flush Spades royal flush

Using the classical definition of probability, we find the probability of the event E that a royal flush is dealt is
P(E) = 4 number of outcomes in E = = 0.000001539 number of outcomes in S 2,598,960

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Example 15-18: In the Pick5 lottery, 5 numbers are selected from the numbers 1 through 30. In Example 15-5, we found that there are 142,506 ways of selecting 5 numbers from the 30. The probability that you select the 5 winning numbers is therefore equal to 1 divided by 142,506 or 0.000007017.

Example 15-19: Figure 15-2 shows the 36 equally likely outcomes possible when a pair of dice is tossed. In Example 15-11, we found that the outcomes in A correspond to rolling a seven with the dice.
A = {(1, 6), (2, 5), (3, 4), (4, 3), (5, 2), (6, 1)}

The probability of rolling a seven is therefore equal to 6 divided by 36 or 0.167.

Don’t Forget
When selecting n items from a set consisting of N items, the number of different arrangements or permutations of the n items is denoted by P (N, n). The number of selections is denoted by C (N, n). P (N, n) and C (N, n) are given by the following formulas, where n! = n(n − 1)(n − 2) 1.
P (N,n) = N! (N - n)! and C(N,n) = N! n!(N - n)!

The expansion for the binomial (a + b)n is as follows.
(a + b)n = C(n, 0)an + C(n, 1)an - 1b + C(n, 2)an - 2b 2 + . . . + C(n, n)bn

The first six rows of Pascal’s triangle are as follows. 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 4 10 3 6 2 3 4 10 1 1 1 1 5 1

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The following relationship holds for any set of binomial coefficients.
C(n, 0) + C(n, 1) + C(n, 2) + . . . + C(n, n) = 2n

An experiment is defined as any operation or procedure whose outcomes cannot be predicted with certainty. The sample space is defined as the set of all possible outcomes for an experiment. An event is any subset of the sample space. The union of events A and B consists of those outcomes that belong to A, B, or both A and B and it is denoted by A » B. The intersection of events A and B consists of those outcomes that belong to both A and B and it is denoted by A « B. The complement of A consists of all the points in the sample space not in A and is denoted by Ac. The classical definition of probability states that if an experiment can result in n equally likely outcomes, and event E consists of k of these equally likely outcomes, then the probability of E occurring is k divided by n. The relative frequency definition of probability does not assume equally likely outcomes but assumes that the experiment may be repeated any number of times. If an experiment is conducted n times and the event E occurs n(E) times in the n repetitions of the experiment, then the probability assigned to E is n(E) divided by n. The subjective definition of probability may be appropriate when neither the classical definition nor the relative frequency definition is appropriate. The subjective definition of probability utilizes experience, intuition, brainstorming sessions, and any available information to assign probabilities.

Questions
Test Yourself 1. If two letters are selected from the letters A, B, and C, give the possible permutations and the possible combinations. 2. If five of the state governors are chosen to form an advisory committee, how many such committees are possible?

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3. The central division of the National Baseball League is made up of the following teams: Houston, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Chicago. If all six teams have different won-lost records, how many different arrangements are possible for the top-three teams at the end of the season? 4. Use Pascal’s triangle to construct the binomial coefficients for the expansion of (a + b)8. Verify that the sum of these coefficients is equal to 28. 5. Expand (x2 − 3y)5. 6. When a die is tossed, what is the probability that the side that faces up is a prime number? (See Example 15-9.) 7. When three coins are tossed, what is the probability that (a) all three coins show the same side? (b) at least two heads occur? (See Example 15-10.) 8. A pair of dice is tossed. What is the probability that a 3 appears on die 1? (See Example 15-11.) 9. If a single card is drawn from a well-shuffled deck, find the probability of the following. (See Example 15-12.) (a) A face card is drawn. (b) A club is drawn. (c) A face card or a club is drawn. (d) A face card and a club are drawn. (e) A nonface card is drawn. 10. If three dice are tossed, there are 216 possible outcomes in the sample space. What is the probability that the same number of spots appear on all three dice?

Answers
1. Permutations: AB, BA, AC, CA, BC, and CB Combinations: A and B, A and C, and B and C 2. C(50, 5) = 2,118,760. 3. P(6, 3) = 120. 4. 1 + 8 + 28 + 56 + 70 + 56 + 28 + 8 + 1 = 256; 28 = 256.

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5. x10 − 15x8y + 90x6y2 − 270x4y3 + 405x2y4 − 243y5 6. .5 7. (a) .25; 8. .167 9. (a) 10. 6 216 12 ; 52 (b) 13 ; 52 (c) 22 ; 52 (d) 3 ; 52 (e) 40 52 (b) .5

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Index v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v
Absolute value, 8, 71 Addition and subtraction of polynomials, 102 Addition and subtraction of rational expressions, 147 Addition property of inequality, 61 Additive identity, 27 Additive inverse, 25 Annuity, 187 Arithmetic sequence, 185 Associative law of addition, 29 Associative law of multiplication, 30 Asymptotes for Hyperbolas, 179 Average deviation, 74 Bar graph, 39 Binomial, 13 Binomial coefficients, 200 Binomial theorem, 200 Branches of a tree diagram, 204 Center of a circle, 168 Change in x, 51 Change in y, 51 Circle, 168 Classical definition of probability, 210 Combinations, 196 Common difference, 185 Common logarithm, 158 Common ratio, 188 Commutative law of addition, 29 Commutative law of multiplication, 30 Complement of an event, 206 Completing the square, 172, 176, 180 Complex numbers, 135 Conjugate of a complex number, 136 Consistent system of equations, 87 Degree of a polynomial, 102 Dependent system of equations, 88 Discount function, 191 Discriminant, 127 Distributive property, 24 Dividing rational expressions, 146 Division of polynomials, 108–109 Domain, 36 Ellipse, 173 Equations containing the absolute value function, 72, 75 Event, 203

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Excluded value, 143 Experiment, 203 Exponential functions, 154 Exponential notation, 10 Factorial, 198 Finite probability space, 210 FOIL method, 13 Four fundamental operations involving radicals, 134 Function, 36 Geometric sequence, 188 Graph of absolute value function, 71 Graphical solution to a system of equations, 83 Graphs of polynomials, 111 Graphs of quadratic functions, 124 Higher-order roots, 132 Horizontal line test, 43 Hyperbola, 177 Imaginary part of a complex number, 135 Imaginary unit, 123 Impossible event, 207 Inconsistent system of equations, 89 Inequalities involving absolute values, 77 Intersection of events, 206 Inverse function, 42 Irrational numbers, 3 Linear equation, 55 Linear function, 40, 50 Linear inequality in one variable, 60 Linear inequality in two variables, 63 Linear programming, 89 Logarithm functions, 157 Margin of error, 73 Maximum value of a quadratic function, 117 Minimum value of a quadratic function, 118 Multiple regression and systems of equations, 94 Multiplication of polynomials, 105

Index

Multiplication property of inequality, 61 Multiplication property of zero, 30 Multiplicative identity, 28 Multiplicative inverse, 26 Multiplying rational expressions, 144 Natural logarithm, 158 One-to-one function, 37 Operations on complex numbers, 135 Order of operations, 31 Origin, 38 Outcomes of an experiment, 203 Parallel and perpendicular lines, 54 Pascal’s triangle, 200 Permutations, 196 Polynomial equations, 109–110 Polynomial in one variable, 100 Polynomials with both real and imaginary roots, 137 Powers of 10, 9 Prime factorization, 11 Prime number, 11 Principal square root, 130 Probability of an event, 207 Properties of logarithms, 160 Quadrants, 38 Quadratic equations, 120 Quadratic equations with non-real solutions, 122 Quadratic formula, 121 Quadratic function, 116 Radical notation, 131 Radius of a circle, 168 Range, 36 Rational expression, 143 Rational numbers, 3 Real number line, 2 Real part of a complex number, 135 Rectangular coordinate system, 38 Relative frequency definition of probability, 208

Index

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System of 2 equations in 2 unknowns, 82 System of 3 equations in 3 unknowns, 92 Time series, 119 Tree diagram, 204 Trinomial, 15 Union of events, 205 Unit circle, 168 Variable, 12 Vertex of a parabola, 117 Vertical line test, 43 x-axis, 38 x-intercept, 53 y-axis, 38 y-intercept, 40, 53

Roots of a polynomial, 110 Royal flush, 211 Sample space, 203 Scientific notation, 10 Sequence, 184 Slope of a line, 40, 51 Solution of a linear equation, 55 Solution to a system of 2 equations in 2 unknowns, 82 Solving equations containing rational expressions, 149 Subjective definition of probability, 209 Sum of a geometric sequence, 188 Sum of an arithmetic sequence, 186 Sum of an infinite geometric sequence, 190 Sum of the binomial coefficients, 202 Summation notation, 184 Summing powers of natural numbers, 192

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About the Author v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Larry J. Stephens is currently Professor of Mathematics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and has been on the faculty since 1974. He received his bachelor’s degree from Memphis State University in mathematics, his master’s degree from the University of Arizona in mathematics, and his Ph.D. degree from Oklahoma State University in statistics. He has over 25 years of experience teaching mathematics and statistics. He has taught at the University of Arizona, Christian Brothers College, Gonzaga University, Oklahoma State University, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He has worked for NASA, Livermore Radiation Laboratory, and Los Alamos Laboratory. Dr. Stephens consulted with and conducted statistics seminars for the engineering group at the 3M, Valley, Nebraska, plant from 1989 until 1998. He has published numerous computerized test banks to accompany elementary statistics texts. Professor Stephens has over 40 publications in professional journals. He is the author of Schaum’s Outline of Beginning Statistics and coauthor with Murray Spiegel of Schaum’s Outline of Statistics, 3rd Ed.

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