Algebra worksheet — GCSE Higher

1.A cinema sells adult tickets for £10 and child tickets for £6. A family group buys 9 tickets in total, spending £74. Work out how many adult tickets were bought.

2.The table shows the height, in metres, of a firework rocket at various times, in seconds, during its flight: 40 at t = 2, 54 at t = 3, and 60 at t = 4. Use the chord between t = 2 and t = 4 to estimate the gradient of the height-time graph at t = 3, stating the correct units.

3.A Fibonacci-type sequence is defined by aₙ = aₙ₋₁ + aₙ₋₂ for n ≥ 3. Given that a₁ = 5 and a₃ = 17, work out a₂.

4.A plumber charges a call-out fee plus an hourly rate. The total cost, y in pounds, of a job lasting x hours is given by y = 45x + 60. Work out the total cost of a job that lasts 3 hours.

5.The iterative formula xₙ₊₁ = xₙ³ − 2 is used repeatedly, starting from x₀ = 2. Which of these describes what happens to the sequence of values as n increases?

6.A tap fills a tank at a varying rate. A graph shows the rate of flow, in litres per minute, against time, in minutes. What does the area under this graph represent?

7.Look at the statement 2x + 5 = 17. Considering whether it is an expression, an equation, a formula, or an identity, which classification is correct?

8.A car is decelerating. The tangent to its velocity-time graph at t = 12 seconds passes through the points (8, 22) and (16, 6), where velocity is in m/s and time is in seconds. Work out the gradient of this tangent, in m/s².

9.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.

10.Solve the inequality 6.3x + 1.8 ≤ 40. Hence write down the greatest number with exactly one decimal place that satisfies the inequality.

11.The equation x² − 5x − 2 = 0 can be solved using the iterative formula xₙ₊₁ = √(5xₙ + 2). The starting value is x₀ = 2, so x₁ is the value after the formula has been used once. Work out x₃ correct to 3 decimal places.

12.A population of bacteria doubles every 3 hours. It starts at 800. Work out the population after 9 hours.

13.The graph of y = 60 × (0.5)ˣ is sketched for x ≥ 0. Which statement correctly describes what happens to the curve as x increases?

14.The equation x² − x − 6 = 0 has roots x = 3 and x = −2. It can be rearranged as xₙ₊₁ = xₙ² − 6. This formula is used with starting value x₀ = 2.9, close to the root x = 3. Work out what happens to the sequence of values as n increases.

15.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.