Algebra worksheet — GCSE Foundation

1.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.

2.A model rocket's height is given by h = −5t² + 20t, where h is in metres and t is in seconds. A student says the graph of h against t is n-shaped. Which statement gives the correct verdict on the SHAPE and the reason that settles it from the equation?

3.A photo printing service has two adverts for its price. Advert A: cost in pounds = 3(2n + 4) for n photos. Advert B: cost in pounds = 6n + 12. A customer says the two adverts always charge the same amount. Is the customer correct?

4.A hiker's distance-time graph shows the following: he walks 5 km in the first 1 hour at a steady speed, rests for 1 hour, then walks a further 9 km in the next 2 hours, also at a steady speed. Work out his average speed for the whole journey, in km/h.

5.A runner's journey is shown on a distance-time graph: she runs 8 km in the first hour, rests for 30 minutes with no distance gained, then runs a further 4 km in the next 30 minutes. Work out her average speed for the whole journey, in kilometres per hour.

6.Amelia's mother is three times as old as Amelia. Four years ago her mother was five times as old as Amelia was then. Work out Amelia's age now.

7.A ball is thrown in the air. Its height, h metres, above the ground after t seconds is given in this table: when t = 0, h = 0; when t = 1, h = 15; when t = 2, h = 20; when t = 3, h = 15; when t = 4, h = 0. Use the table to find the two times, in seconds, at which the ball is at ground level.

8.Which expression means the same as 3 × a × b?

9.The graph of y = x² − 2x − 8 takes these values: when x = −2, y = 0; when x = −1, y = −5; when x = 0, y = −8; when x = 3, y = −5; when x = 4, y = 0. Use these values to write down the two solutions of x² − 2x − 8 = 0.

10.Six years ago Harry was three times as old as his brother Leo. Harry is now 24 years old. Work out Leo's age now.

11.A number, n, is tripled and then 4.5 is added. The result is 22.5. Form an equation and solve it to find n.

12.A taxi charges a fixed fee of £3 plus £2 for every mile travelled. The journey is m miles. Write down an expression for the total cost, in pounds.

13.A phone company works out a monthly bill, £B, using the formula B = 18 + 0.05t, where £18 is the fixed monthly charge and t is the number of extra text messages sent beyond the free allowance, each charged at 5p. Farida's bill for one month is £24.50. Work out the number of extra text messages, t, she sent.

14.A regular hexagon has sides of length (x + 2) cm. Write down an expression, in terms of x, for the perimeter of the hexagon.

15.Which expression is equivalent to 0.5(4x + 6) − x?