Algebra worksheet — GCSE Foundation

1.A parcel delivery company's cost graph shows the following: the cost is a flat £5 for parcels weighing up to 2 kg, and then rises by £2 for each additional kg above 2 kg. Use the graph to work out the weight of a parcel that costs £17.

2.Yuki is y years old. Her brother is 4 years younger than Yuki. Write down an expression, in terms of y, for the brother's age in 5 years' time.

3.Point R has coordinates (3, −5). Point R is reflected in the line y = 2 to point S. Write down the coordinates of S.

4.Two brothers have ages that add up to 30. The elder brother is 6 years older than the younger brother. Work out the age of the younger brother.

5.Explain why the equation 4x + 3 = 4x + 10 has no solution for x.

6.A gardener charges a fixed fee of £15 plus £8 for each hour worked. The total charge, £T, for a job lasting h hours is given by T = 15 + 8h. Work out the charge for a job lasting 4 hours, and identify what kind of statement T = 15 + 8h is.

7.A stack of firewood has 3 logs in the top layer. Each layer below has 4 more logs than the layer above it. Work out the number of logs in the 6th layer from the top.

8.On Monday, a runner covers 15 km in 2.5 hours. On Tuesday, she covers 12 km in 1.5 hours. Using the formula speed = distance ÷ time, work out on which day she ran faster, and by how much.

9.Solve 2x² − 32 = 0.

10.The formula for the energy stored in a stretched spring is E = (1/2)kx², where E is in joules, k is the spring constant in N/m and x is the extension in m. A spring with a spring constant of 40 N/m is stretched so that its extension is 0.3 m. Work out the energy stored in the spring.

11.A taxi fare in pounds is given by F = 2.50 + 1.20m, where m is the number of miles travelled. Sam takes a taxi for a journey of 6 miles. Work out the fare.

12.Solve 5x² − 15x = 0.

13.A car park charges by the hour. Parking for 1 hour costs £5, 2 hours costs £9, 3 hours costs £13 and 4 hours costs £17, with the cost increasing by the same amount for each extra hour. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the cost, in pounds, of parking for n hours.

14.A colony of bacteria doubles in number every hour. At 9am there are 5 bacteria in the colony. Work out how many bacteria there will be at 12 noon.

15.A park is drawn on a grid in which 1 unit represents 1 km. The car park is at the point (0, 0) and the lake is at the point (3, 5). Work out the direct distance, in km, from the car park to the lake, giving your answer to 1 decimal place.