CHAPTER 6: ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS

Expanding Algebraic Expressions Involving A Pair Of Brackets

The algebraic expression is expanded by multiplying each term inside the brackets by the number or term outside.

Example: 3(a + 2b) = 3a + 6b m(p q) = mp mq

Example: Expand each of the following. d) 5c(2c 3d) a) p(m n) 2 = 10c + 15cd = pm pn b) 2x(y + x) 2 = 2xy + 2x c) 4k(2 h) = 8k 4hk
e) uv(4u + 2v) 2 2 = 4u v 2uv

Expanding Algebraic Expressions Involving Two Pairs Of Brackets

To expand two brackets, we multiply each term in the first brackets by each term in the second brackets, then add and subtract the products. Example:

(x + 3) (y 4) = x (y 4) + 3(y 4) = xy 4x + 3y 12

Example: Expand each of the following. a) (a 3) (a + 4) 2 = a + 4a 3a 12 2 = a + a 12 b) (x + 2) (x + 4) 2 = x + 4x + 2x + 8 2 = x + 6x + 8 c) (p + q) (p + 2q) 2 2 = p + 2pq + pq + 2q 2 2 = p + 3pq + 2q

d) (m + 2n) (m 5n) 2 2 = m 5mn + 2mn 10n 2 2 = m 3mn 10n

e) (3x y) (2x + 3y) 2 2 = 6x + 9xy 2xy 3y 2 2 = 6x + 7xy 3y f) (p + q) (2p r) 2 = 2p pr + 2pq qr

Remember these 3 identities

( a + b ) = ( a + b ) ( a + b ) NOT a + b 2 2 = a + ab + ab + b 2 2 = a + 2ab + b ( a b )
2 2 2 2

= ( a b ) ( a b ) NOT a b 2 2 = a ab ab + b 2 2 = a 2ab + b = a ab + ab b 2 2 =a b
2 2

(a+b)(ab)

Example: Expand each of the following. 2 a) (m 5) = (m 5) (m 5) 2 = m 5m 5m + 25 2 = m 10m + 25

b) (p + 6) = (p + 6) (p + 6) 2 = p + 6p + 6p + 36 2 = p + 12p + 36
2

c) (x 2y) = (x 2y) (x 2y) 2 2 = x 2xy 2xy + 4y 2 2 = x 4xy + 4y

d) (2m + 3n) = (2m + 3n) (2m + 3n) 2 2 = 4m + 6mn + 6mn + 9n 2 2 = 4m + 12mn + 9n

e) (p q) (p + q) 2 2 = p + pq pq q 2 2 =p q f) (2m n) (2m + n) 2 2 = 4m + 2mn 2mn n 2 2 = 4m n