Single Maths Summer Work

A/AS Level Maths Preparation
Work through all the questions on the sheet, answering the questions on squared paper. They are not meant
to be as straightforward as GCSE questions, but should only require GCSE knowledge, together with a
willingness to think.
The first few question are on co-ordinate geometry. You might find it helpful to draw out axes on squared
paper for questions 1 and 2.
1. Points A and B have coordinates A(3, 8) and B(7, −2).
(a) What are the coordinates of the point which is exactly half way between A and B ? Can you come
up with a quick method for finding the coordinates of the midpoint of two points?
(b) Think back to your GCSE work on transformations. What column vector would you use to
translate point A onto point B ?
(c) What is the distance AB ? How does this relate to the vector found in part (b)? Can you outline
a method for quickly finding the distance between two points using the vector joining them?
 
 5 
(d) Get some squared paper. Can you use similar triangles to explain why the vector   is
2
 
 4 
perpendicular (at right angles) to the vector  ? Can you come up with a quick way of
−10
seeing if two column vectors are perpendicular to one another?
(e) How could you work out the gradient of a vector? What’s the gradient of the line joining points
A and B above?
2. Look over your GCSE work on straight lines.
(a) What’s the gradient of the line 3x − 5y = 6?
(b) Explain how you know that the point (3, −2) is not on the line 2x + 5y = 1? Find three points
which are on the line.
(c) Find the equation of the line which has gradient 3 and passes through the point (2, 8).
2
(d) Find the equation of the line which has gradient 3 and passes through the point (−3, −5).
(e) Find the equation of the line which passes through the points (3, −7) and (−2, 5).
3. Use Desmos (www.desmos.com/calculator) to draw the curve x2 − 3y 3 + xy = 7. Now draw a new curve
whose equation is obtained by replacing x with (x − 4) each time in the equation [so the new equation
is (x − 4)2 − 3y 3 + (x − 4)y = 7]. What happens to the original graph?
Always starting with the original graph, describe carefully what happens to the original graph when:
(a) y is replaced with (2y) each time it occurs [so the new equation is x2 − 3(2y)3 + x(2y) = 7];
(b) x is replaced with (−x) each time it occurs;
(c) y is replaced with (y + 2) each time it occurs;
(d) each x in the original equation is replaced with (−y) and each y in the original equation is replaced
with (x).
The next few questions are on algebra. Try not to think too formulaically about them!
4. Consider carefully the equations below:
(a) x2 − 3x + 2 = (x + 7)(x − 2)
(b) x2 − 5x + 4 = (x − 1)(x − 4)
(c) x2 − 8x + 4 = (x − 2)2 + 3
(d) x2 + 10x − 5 = (x + 5)2 − 20
(e) (x − 3)(x + 2) = (x + 5)(x − 6)
(f) x2 − 5x − 14 = (x − 7)(x + 2)
(g) x2 + 7x + 11 = (x − 1)(x + 8) + 19
(h) x2 + 14x + 28 = (x + 7)2 + 2x − 1
(i) x2 − x − 30 = (x + 6)(x − 5)
Divide them into three categories: “Always True”, “Sometimes True”, “Never True”. For those which
you’ve labelled “Never True”, check carefully that they shouldn’t be “Sometimes True”. For those which
you’ve labelled “Sometimes True”, write down the value(s) of x which make them true.
5. Copy and fill in the blanks below – with numbers only – so that the equations are true for all values of
the variable(s):
(a) x2 − 7x + 3 = (x − 3)(x − .....) − 9
(b) x2 + 8x + 23 = (x + 4)2 + .....
(c) 2pq + 7p − .....q − 21 = (p − .....)(2q + 7)
(d) r2 + 2r − 5 = (r + 4)(r − .....) + .....
(e) x3 − 3x2 − 8x + 30 = (x + 3)(x2 − .....x + .....)
6. Multiply out and simplify:
(a) (2a + 3b − 4)(a − 5b + 7).
(b) (x + 3y + z − 1)(2x − y − 3z + 2)
(c) (2x − 1)(3x + 2)(4x − 3)
(d) (a + b + 2c)(a + b − c) + (a + 2b + c)(a − b + c) + (2a + b + c)(−a + b + c)
7. Give the range of values of x for which the following inequalities are true:
(a) 3x + 5 ≤ 32
(b) 3x2 + 5 ≤ 32
3
(c) x + 5 ≤ 32
Now look at parts (b) and (c) more carefully, and check whether the following values of x make the
inequalities true: -5, -3, -1, 0, 1, 3, 5. Do you need to revise your solutions?
8. Multiply out and simplify the expressions (1 + x)1 , (1 + x)2 , (1 + x)3 , (1 + x)4 . [Check: you should get
1 + 3x + 3x2 + x3 for the third one – if not, try again!]. Can you see a pattern? Can you predict what
you get for (1 + x)5 and (1 + x)6 ? If not, Google Pascal’s Triangle and check again.

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A/AS Level Maths Preparation

paper for questions 1 and 2.

1. Points A and B have coordinates A(3, 8) and B(7, −2).

translate point A onto point B ?

2. Look over your GCSE work on straight lines.

(a) What’s the gradient of the line 3x − 5y = 6?

which are on the line.

is (x − 4)2 − 3y 3 + (x − 4)y = 7]. What happens to the original graph?

(b) x is replaced with (−x) each time it occurs;

(c) y is replaced with (y + 2) each time it occurs;

4. Consider carefully the equations below:

(d) x2 + 10x − 5 = (x + 5)2 − 20

(e) (x − 3)(x + 2) = (x + 5)(x − 6)

(h) x2 + 14x + 28 = (x + 7)2 + 2x − 1

(a) x2 − 7x + 3 = (x − 3)(x − .....) − 9

(b) x2 + 8x + 23 = (x + 4)2 + .....

(c) 2pq + 7p − .....q − 21 = (p − .....)(2q + 7)

(d) r2 + 2r − 5 = (r + 4)(r − .....) + .....

(e) x3 − 3x2 − 8x + 30 = (x + 3)(x2 − .....x + .....)

6. Multiply out and simplify:

(a) (2a + 3b − 4)(a − 5b + 7).

(c) (2x − 1)(3x + 2)(4x − 3)

(d) (a + b + 2c)(a + b − c) + (a + 2b + c)(a − b + c) + (2a + b + c)(−a + b + c)

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