Algebra worksheet — GCSE Foundation

1.A graph shows the total monthly cost of a mobile phone tariff against the number of minutes of calls. The line starts at £12 and stays level until 200 minutes, then rises by 5p for each further minute of calls. Use the graph to work out the total cost of a month in which 250 minutes of calls are made.

2.A cyclist's journey is shown on a distance–time graph. The graph is a straight line from (0 minutes, 0 km) to (40 minutes, 12 km). Work out her speed in kilometres per hour.

3.The formula for converting a distance in miles, m, to kilometres, k, is k = 8m ÷ 5. Work out k when m = 10.

4.Aisha saves money each week. In week 1 she has saved £15 in total, in week 2 she has saved £23 in total, in week 3 she has saved £31 in total and in week 4 she has saved £39 in total, with the total increasing by the same amount each week. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the total amount she has saved, in pounds, after week n.

5.A square tile has an area of 144 cm². Work out the side length of the tile.

6.A rectangle is x cm wide and twice as long as it is wide, so its area A cm² is given by A = 2x². Work out A when x = 3.

7.Solve the simultaneous equations 5x − 2y = 16 and 3x + 2y = 16. Work out the value of x.

8.Expand 4(2x − 3).

9.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.

10.A conversion graph shows that 5 miles is equivalent to 8 kilometres. Use this to work out how many kilometres are equivalent to 20 miles.

11.The formula for the perimeter of a rectangle is P = 2(l + w). One rectangle has l = 9 cm and w = 4 cm. A second rectangle has l = 6 cm and w = 5 cm. Work out how many cm greater the perimeter of the first rectangle is than the perimeter of the second.

12.Work out the coordinates of the point halfway between (−9, −2) and (−1, −2).

13.A table shows y = x² − 6x + 5 at these points (x, y): (0, 5), (1, 0), (2, −3), (3, −4), (4, −3), (5, 0), (6, 5). Using the symmetry shown, write down the x-coordinate of the turning point.

14.Solve x² − 100 = 0.

15.A car's speed-time graph shows the following: its speed increases steadily from 0 m/s to 20 m/s over the first 10 seconds, then stays constant at 20 m/s for the next 15 seconds. Work out the total distance travelled in the first 25 seconds.