-

SECTION ONE

NUMBERS

TVDes of Number
UARE NUMBERS:
(1x1)(2x2) (3x3) (4x4) (5x5) (axa)

'

'
3

18 25

'

"" '

(7x7) (axa)

38

49

""'

"" '

11

13

(9x9) (10x10) (11x11)(12x12) (13x13) (14x14) (15x15)

84

81 100

"" '

15

"" \

17

121 144

4 \

4\

19

21

189

23

198

"

25

225...

"

27

29

.,.".".,...

Note that the DIFFERENCES

between the sguare numbers are all the ODDnumbers.

2) CUBE NUMBERS:

They're oalled CUBE NUMBER9 beoause

__
they're like the volumes of this pattern of oubes.

'27

84

1'25

'218

--"yV
4x4x4=84

343

51'2

7'29

1000...

Admit it. you never knew maths could be this exciting did you.

. ... ...
..
... ... ...

. ...

3) TRIANGLE NUMBERS:

To remember the triangle numbers you have to

picture in your mind this inoreasingpattern of triangles,
where each new row has one more blob than the previous row.
1
3
8
10
15
21
28
38
45
"

"

"

4"

"

"

'

'

18

55...

'

2
3
4
5
a
7
a
9
It's definitely worth learning this simple pattern of differenoes,

for the nth term (see P.8) which is:

.... .....
....

'

10
as well

4'

11

12

as the formula

nth term = Y2n (n + 1)

32...

5) PRIME NUMBERS:
2

11

13

17

19

23

29

31

37

41

43...

Prime numbers only divideby themselvesand 1 (Note that 1 is NOTa prime number).

Apart from 2 and 5. ALLPRIMES ENDIN 1. 3. 7. OR 9.

90 POSSIBLE IJrimes are: 71. 73. 77. 79

101. 103. 107. 109

241. 243. 247. 249...

etc.

However. nof all of fhose are primes. and working out which are and which aren't is a little bit fricklJ

see next page for allthe details on how to find prime numbers.

1) Write down the next five numbers in each of the sequences on this page.
2) Write down an expression for the nth term for each of the first 3 sequences on this page.
SECTION ONE

NUMBERS

Prime Numbers
1) Basicall
And that's the best way to think of them.
(Strictly.they divideby themselvesand 1)
So Prime Numbers are all the numbers that DON'Tcome uR in Times Tables:

11 13

17

19

23

29

31

37

As you can see, they're an awkward-lookingbunch (that's because they don't

divideby anythingl). For example:
1x 1
1 x 31

TheonlVnumbers that multiplyto give 1 are

TheonlVnumbers that multiplyto give 31 are

In fact the onl~

1 x ITSELF

to get ANYPRIME NUMBERis

2) Thev All End in 1, J, 7 or 9

@@@Q)
@@@@)

1) 1 is NOTa prime number

2) The first four prime numbers are 2. 3. 5 and 1
3) 2 and 5 are the EXCEPTIONSbecause
all the rest end in 1~ 1 or 9
4) But NOT ALLnumbers ending in ~

21

21

@)

33

39

@)@@49
51 851~

1 or 9

are primes, as shown here:

(Only the circled ones are primes)

@83@89

J) How to Find Prime Numbers

a veO'simple method

For a chosen number to be a prime:

il)mfiim1}.

~m__ti1NIl:m
Olm:\!ldhmmllllBmtnr'
I

"1

I'x~.
-'-.-

',;_
--'

','""
. ~

'~,

"Decide whether or not !l33 is a prime number." _ YO~~fhe"o"_c~,::~~~orr,es~p//

'---~-".~--'-,---",+,,---,.

"
'.'-'"

!HJjjT'

-,

",

.,

'"

"-

-:::-

1) Does it end in either 1, 3. 7 or 91

2) Find its square root:

If

\ I I
SOrr,efhi"8 "k

have fo sfa/'f

/,

Paper,_

fhe squar
by esfirr,afi "8/
I / ~ro of_seeP.
14
I
\
",,-

Yes
-J'233 = 15.'284

"-

3) List all Drimes which are less than this square root: 3, 1, 11and 13
4) Divide all of these primes into the number under test:

233 + 3
233

+ 11

= 11.8881

= '21.181818

= 33.2851
13 = 11.923011

233 + 1
233 +

5) Since none of these divide cleanlv into 233 then it 19 a Drime number.

.'

Easy Peasy

Nowcover the page and write down everything you've just learned.
1)Write down the first 15 prime numbers (without lookingthem up).
2) Find all the prime numbers between a) 100 and 110 b) 200 and 210 c) 500 and 510

SECTIONONE -

NUMBERS

Factorsand Prime Factors

IThe MULTIPLESof a number are simply its liMES

E.g. the multiplesof 13 are

Factors
Example 1:

13 28 39

TABLE:

52 85 78 91 104

The FACTORSof a number are all the numbers that DIVIDE

INTO IT. There is a special way to find them:

"FindALLthe factors of 24"

1 X 24
2 X 12

Start off with 1 x the number itself. then try 2 x . then 3 x

and so on. listing the pairs in rows like this. Try each one in
turn and put a dash if it doesn't divide exactly. Eventually.
when you get a numberreDealed, you SIOD.

3x8
4x8

So the FACTORSOF 24

are 1.2.3.4.8.8.12.24
This method guarantees you find them ALL. And don't forget 1 and 24!

Examl!le 2:

"Find the factors of 64"

1x 84
2 x 32

Check each one in turn. to

see if it dividesor not. Use s:::-- 3 x
your calculator if you are

not totally confident.

~
~

4 x 18
5 x

8x-

90 the FACTORSof 84

are

1.2.4.8,18.32.84

7x8 x 8 ___ The8 hasrepealedso slop here.

Findin Prime Factors -

The Factor Tree

Anv number can be broken down into a string of

PRIME NUMBERS all multiplied toeether

- this is called

"Expressing it as a product of Drime

factors". and to be honest it's pretty tedious - but

it's in the Exam.and it's not difficultso long as lJou

know what it is.
The mildlyentertaining "FactorTree"method is
best. where you start at the top and split your number
off into factors as shown. Eachtime you get a prime
you ring it and you finallyend up with all the prime
factors. whichyou can then arrange in order.

90. "As a product of prime

factors". 420 = 2x2x3x5x7

Thentry these withoutthe notes:

1) List the first 10 multiples of 7 and of 9. What is their Lowest Common Multiple (LCM)?
2) List a/l the factors of 38 and 84. What is their Highest Common Factor (HCF)?
3) Express as a product of prime factors: a) 990 b) 180.
SECTION ONE

NUMBERS

Fractions
TheFractionButton:

El

Use this as much as possible in the calculator paper. It's very easy. so make sure
you'll lose a lot of marks if you donlt:
you know how to use it
1) To enter Y4press 0 El 11

D 6111 GIll

2) To enter 1 %press

3) To work out ~ X % press D mUD

11m 11 11
4) To reduce a fraction to its lowest terms enter it and then press 11
= %
5) To convert betweenmixedand top heavlJfractions press.

11El 16a

e.g. 71'2'

e.g. 2 %

c=IID

fJ m 11m 11 11m which gives

GI

1%

Doina Fractions Bv Hand

You're not allowed to use your calculator in the Non-Calculator Exam (unsurprisingly).
Frighteningly. you'll have to do them "blJhand" instead. so learn these 5 basic rules:

3/ X 4/
/5
/7

--

--

3x4/

/5x7

3/

/4

4) Addin

subtractin

12/

/35

.v-;-/3 -

3/

/4

3/

11

3x3/

14xl

9/

/4

frau ht.

i) First get the bottom lines the same (get a "common denominator")
E.g.

2x5

+ 5" =

3x5

Ix3
+

5x3

10

(multiply each fraction by the same number top and

15 +

15

bottom, but a different number for each fraction)

ii) Add or subtract TOP LINES ONLY but only if the boHom numbers are the same.

e.g. 1~5+%5=1%6 or

%+~ =%. ~-~ =~

5) Finding A FRACTIONOF sornethin2..=just

Multiplll~
I

Finally

bll~ the to

p . divide bll~ the bottom:

Checking.

rnultiRlY. .

Jlof380=Jlx380=3240=182
20
20
20

ALWAY9 check your answer.

1) With your calculator:

a) 1/2 x 3/4 b) 3/5 + 2/9 c) 1/3

SECTION

simplest form.
ONE

d) Findx: 2 % = % e) Find y: 1%8= %

b) 4/5 + 3/10 c) 5/8 - 2/8 d) Express38/84 in its

e) 3 % - 2 3/4 f) 2~ x 3 ~ ID 2% + 1Xo

2) By hand: a) '2/3 x 4/5

.

+ 2/5

NUMBERS

Percentaaes
You shouldn't have any trouble with most percentage questions, especially types 1 and 2. Howeverwatch
out for type :3 questions and make sure you know the proper method for doing them. "Percentage change"
can also catch you out if you don't watch all the details using the ORIGINALvalue for example.

"Rnd x% of y" -

e.g. Find15%of 48 =:}0.15 x48 =8.90

"Express x as a percentage of y"

e.g. Give40p as a percentage of 3.34

I-

=:} (40 + 334)

x 100 =12%

IDENTIFIEDBY NOT GIVING THE "ORIGINAL VALUE"

These are th~ type most peopleget wrong - but only because they don't
recognise them as a type 3 and don't apply this simplemethod:

Example:

Ahouse
valueby
to 72.000.
Findwhatincreasesin
it was worth
before 20%
the rise.

An INCREASEof 20% means

that 72.000 represents 120%
of the originalvalue. If it was a
DROP of 20%. then we would
put "72.000 = 80%" instead.
and then divide by 80 on the
LHS. instead of 120.
Alwavs set them out exact/v like this examDle. The trickiest bit is deciding the top %

figure on the RHS

the 2nd and 3rd rows are always 1%and 100%

Percentaae Chanae
It is common to give a change in value as a Dercentage.
Thisis the formulafor doing so - LEARNIT. AND USE IT:
~.

:;".'

:~-~-:"'5-::'...~-t. ,;;<;~::;_,z-,~

~;\j~'

-.

'"

...~

~-..:-.~

-~..

_:

.~_

~-'-"~:

:U~DI~{.~~1:IIIIr.~",
c
':'"~..'~m;;J~'.
~

,.'_.

. " ~t~
",.~,.

',P-

By "change". we could mean all sorts of things such as: "Profit". "loss". "appreciation".
"depreciation". "i~crease". "decreas~ I "error". "djscount". etc. For example.
"prnfit"
percentage
11profitll =
.~ x 100..
_ Note the great importance, of us~ng the
. ,/ orlglhal
4ORIGINAL VALUEin this formula.
i

The Acid Test',

LEARNThe
details
~ and write it all down.
and PERCENTAGE
CHANGE,then
turnfor
over

1) A trader buyswatchesfor 5 and sellsthemfor 7. Findhis profitas a percentage.

2) A car depreciates by 30% to 14.350. What was it worth before?

3) Findthe percentage error in rounding3.452 to 3.5. Giveyour answer to 2 DP.
SECTION ONE

NUMBERS

Rational and Irrational Numbers

Normal human beings (like you and rne!) find the whole topic of "Rational and Irrational
Nurnbers" cornplete,lybizarre. Unforlunalelt;. the fanatics who write your Exarn papers are wild
aboul Ihem and you're bound to get a question on it. The good news. as ever. is that if vou LEARN
lhis Dage Ihoroughlv. you'll sail through it like a surnmer evening breeze...

RATIONAL
NUMBERS The vast majority of numbers are rational. They are always either:
1) A whole number
(either positive (+ve). or negative (-ve
e.g 4. -5. -12
2) A fraction p/q. where p and q are whole numbers (+ve or -ve). e.g. Y4.-Y2. 3/4
3) A finite or repeating decimal. e.g. 0.125 0.3333333333...
0.143143143143..
IRRATIONALNUMBERS are messy!

1) They are always NEVER-ENDING

NON-REPEATING
DECIMALS. 1t is irrational.
2) A eood source of IRRATIONALNUMBERS is RQUARE ROOTS AND CUBE ROOTS.

1)

"Determine which of these numbers are RATIONAL and which are IRRATIONAL":

-J2
J4
.J36
.J42
Youknow J4 is 2. and you know .J36 is 6. 'cos 6x6 = 36.
.J42 looks~

harder. But get this:

The !ll1!JJnumbers with rational square roots are fHluare numbers.

So check... is 42 square'? Nope. So there you go. .J42 is irrational. Easy.
(If you're not sure if it's square or not. you could split it into primefactors.)
Of course. if you've got a calculatorhandy. you could always stick the numbers in and
see if they are non-recurrinedecimals (irrational)or otherwise (rational).

2)

''Find an irrational number between 6 and 10"

Since square roots are our main source of irrationalnumbers. you might well go for

..fi or -J8. Wellthey are both certainlyirrationalbut

they are not between 6 and 10.

because..fi = 2.645
and -J8 = 2.828...
SomethingIike.J4Qwillbe more likeit.
Since 62=36 and 102=100. possibleanswers are .J37..J38..J39
J97..J98..J99
Allthese have irrationalvalues between 6 and 10. so they wouldall do as answers (except
for ..J49. ..J64 or.J81 - why'?)

j)

Sometimes thel}'lIdo a nastl} question using leHers:

E.g. if P is rationaland q is irrational.say whether p + q and p q are rationalor irrational:

If you've got a calculator.you can pick some numbers and try it out. It.s not too hard to
figure out anyway. If p

= 1 and q =

-J2. then adding 1 to -J2 isn't gonna change the fact

that it's a non-reDeatin~decimal. And1 x -J2

1) Answer the whole of Example 1

SECTION ONE

Nvr.rBERS

=-J2 . so it's irrational.

2) Give three irrational numbers between 30 and 40.

Recurrin Decimals and Surds

These two topics are quite closely related to rational and irrational numbers (how lovely).

Turnin

Recurrin

Decimals into Fractions

As you willundoubtedly remember, RECURRINGDECIMALSare RATIONALNUMBERS so you should

also be able to turn them into FRACTIONS,i.e. alb where a and b are whole numbers.
This is actually very easy if you just learn the simple rules, and sinoe it's been given speoial
mention in the syllabus you'd have to be pretty daft not to. There's two ways you oan do it:
1) by UNDERSTANDING2) by just LEARNING
THERESULT.
Both ways are 0001.

The Understanding

Method:

1) Find the length of the repeating sequenoe and mulfiplt;by 10, 100, 1000, 10 000 or
whatever to move it all up past the decimal point by one full reoeated lumo:
E.g. 0.234234234... x 1000 = 234.234234..
2) Rubtraot the orillinal number, r, from the new one (which in this case is 1000r )

i.e. 1000r - r = 234.234234...

- 0.234234...
giving:
999r = 234
3) Thenjust DIVIDEto leave r: r = 23%99'
and canoelif possible: r

=2~11

The "Just learning The Result" Method:

The fraction always has the repeating unit on the top and the same number of nines on
the bottom - easy as that. Lookat these and marvel at the elegant simplicityof it
0.4444444 = 4/9
0.34343434
= 34/99
0.124124124

= 124/999

0.14561456

= 1456/9999

Always oheok if it will CANCel DOWN of oourse, e.g.

0.363636

= 36/99 = 12/33

Manioulatina Surds
11sounds like something to do with oontrolling diffioult ohildren, but it isn't. Surds are expressions
with irrationalsquare roots in them. You MUSTUSE THEMif they ask you for an EXACTanswer.
There are a few simple rules to learn:

1) J8 x.Jb = Jab

e.g../2 x.J3 = .J2x3 =-J6

2)

e.g.0/./2 =J% =J.4=2

% = .m
-

- alsoJb2 = b.

fairly obviously

3) J8 +.Jb
NOTHING DOING... (in other words it is definitely NOT-Ja+ b)
4) (a + .Jb)2 = (a + .Jb)(a + .Jb) = a2 + 2a.Jb + b
l NOTjust a2 + .Jb2)

5) (a + .Jb)(a - .Jb)

= a2 + a.Jb - a.Jb _.Jb2

a2

6) Express Y.J5 in the form a~7C where a and b are whole numbers.
the denominator", which just means multiplying
To do this you must "RATIONAL/RE

top and bottom by -J5: 3~Y.J5.J5=

3~%

so a = 3 and b = 5
7) If you want an exaot answer, LEAVE THERURDR IN. As soon as you go using that
calculator, you'll get a big fat rounding error
Don't say I didn't warn you...

1) Express 0.142857142857

and you'll get the answer WRONG.

as a fraction.
SECTION ONE

NUMBERS

Findin

the nth Term

"The nth term" is a formula with "n" in it which gives you every term in a sequence
when you put different values for n in. There are two different types of sequence
(for "nth term" questions) which have to be done in different ways:

Common Difference Ji e: "dn +

For any sequence such as

3,

~~~
4

7,

11, 15,
4

where there is a COMMON DIFFERENCE:

_.m

you can always find "the nth term" using the FORMULA:
Don't forget:

I} "a" is simply the value of THEFIRSTTERMin the sequence.

2} "d" is simply the value of THECOMMONDIFFERENCE
between the terms.
3} Toget the nth term, you just find the values of "a" and "d" from the sequence
and stick them in the formula.
4}
I

~:

You don't replace n thou~h - that wants to stay as n

of course YOU HAVE TO LEARN THE FORMULA. but life is like that.

"Find the nth term of this sequence:

5, 8, 11, 14
"
ANSWER: I} The formula is dn + (a-d)
2} The first term is 5, so a = 5
The common difference is 3 so ~ = 3
3} Putting these in the formula gives: 3n + (5-3)
so the nth term = 3n + 2
I

Ch an
lIa

If the number sequenoe is one where the differenoe between the terms is increasing or decreasing
then it gets a whole lot more oomplioated (as you'll have spotted from the above formula

whioh you'll have to learn/). This time there are THREEletters you have to fill in:
"a" is the FIRST TERM,
"d" is the FIRST DIFFERENCE(between the first two numbers),
"C" is the CHANGEBETWEENONE DIFFERENCEAND THE NEXT.

~:

"Findthe nth term of this sequence:

Q, 5,
~~~

9,

14

"

3
5
I} The formula is "a + {n-I)d + Mz{n-I){n-Q)C"
2} The first term is 2, so a = 2
The first difference is 3 so d = 3
3} The differences increase by 1 each time so C = +1
Putting these in the formula gives: "Q + (n-I)3 + Mz{n-I){n-fl) x I"
Which becomes:
2 + 3n 3 + Y!2n!2 - 1Y!2n + 1

ANSWER:

Which simplifies

to:

Y!2n2+ l%n = %n(n+3}

so the nth term = Mzn{n+3J.

I} Find the nth ferm of the following sequences:

a} 4.7. 10. 13
b) 3, 8, 13. 18
c) I. 3. 8. 10, 15,

SECTIONONE -

N~ \'SEl?S

d) 3, 4, 7. 12....

Calculator Buttons
Thenext few pages are full of lovely calculator tricks to save you a lot of button-bashing.
There'sbasically two types of oaloulator - the old-style and the more fanoy two-line displayers.

2-line

Calculators:

Calculators:
Thesefancy ones are dead common now.
They're really easy to use because you just type
most calculations exactly as they're written.

These ones only display numbers. They do the

calculation each time you press an operation key.
B

C_H_'"

Etll t
D

lit

....... 3J

..-:",360J

==

El ( 3:

'51:/]

11

SEMI-CANCEL

and

wholelot. Use

The
button only cancels
the NUMBERYOU ARE ENTERING.
instead

of

Y 1Y

IB

11

or you'll be in BIGTROUBLEI

Cursor I11l1llHY

These cursor buttons

clears the whole calculation.

If 'd0u use

lO+SY

Pressing the
button deletes what you've typed,
one key at a time Uust like on a computer), so it's
and re-typing the
much quicker than pressing

ALL CANCEL

. . .

I_ TheDeletebutton
IB

El L.m_...)]

BEtIl D 11px:y

1iri

m.

[-.

DisDlav

a a
and

are pretty

useful

for editin(! what you've typed in. (You'llprobablyfind

for when

you overwrite what was there before. but you can change

you hit the wrong key, you'll HALVE

the time you spend correcting mistakesl

this with the !t!S key to insert.ratherthanoverwrite.)

1) Enterina Neaative Numbers

90rne oaloulatorshavea.
button whiohyou pressafter you've enteredthe nurnber.
Othersjust havea rninusbutton.
whiohyou pressbeforeenteringthe nurnber.
90 to work

out

5 x

8 you'd either press...

or...

8. 1811El

..111..

Why oan't they alljust be the same... (Theexamplesin this book will usethe.

2) The MEMORYBUTTONS.L-B
(On some calculators the memory buttons are called

button.)

(StoreandRecall)

III (memory in) and lID (memory recall)).

Contrary to popular belief. the memory function isn't intended for storing your favourite

phonenumber.but in fact is a mightyusefulfeature for keepinga numberyou'vejust

calculated, so you can use it again shortly afterwards.
For something like 15+1IN40' you could just work out the bottom line first and stick it
in the memory. Press
and then

IDII...II

.. ..

liE(Or.. or.. or11)

to keep the result of the bottom linein the memory.

Thenyou simplypress
and the answeris 0.7044.

m.EI..

Ill, you might need to type

Once you've practised with the

memory buttons a bit. you'll soon find them very useful. They speed things up no end.

(Instead

of

or

or

lID

on yours.)

SECTIONONE

NUMBERS

10

Calculator Buttons
3)

BODMAS and the BRACKETS BUTTONS

One of the biggest problems many people have with their calculator is not realising that it
always works things out in a certain order, which is summarised by the word BODMAS,
which stands for:
Brackets, Other, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction.
This becomes of very pressing importance when you want to work out a simple thing like
23 +45
S4x3 - it's no good just pressing
it willbe

m_1I1I1I1311 El -

completely wrong. The calculator will think you mean 23 + 40/84 x 3 because the
calculator will do the division and multiplication BEFOREit does the addition.
The secret is to OVER-RIDE the automatic BODMAS order of operations usin& the
BRACKETS BUTTONS. Brackets are the ultimate priority in BODMAS, which means anythin&
in brackets is worked out before anythin& else happens to it. So all you have to do is:
1) Write a couple of pairs of brackets into the expression:
(23+45)
(S4x3)

2) Thenjust type it as it's written:

..IIIIB

EI

It's not too difficultto decide where to put the brackets in - just put thern in pairs around each
group of numbers. It's OKto have brackets within other brackets too, e.e. ( 4 + (5+2)). As a rule
you can't cause trouble by putting too many brackets in, so long as they always go in pairs.

4)

The POWERS BUTTON

...

Thepowers button can be pretty handy for workingout if a number is rationalor irrational- likethis:
1) 144Y' ANS: press

2) 80-3/4ANS:press

or

to get 12, which is certainly rational.

mllla.8mBIIEI

3) V6~ ANS:press

whichgives 0.037383719
... which shows no signs of repeating so it willbe irrational.
whichgives 1.449559327
... which again is clearly irrational.

(If you didn'tuse bracketshere. yourcalculatorwouldprobablyhavegiventhe wronganswer. That'sbecauseit

doesn'tknowhowmuchof the expressionto applythe )(Yto unlessyou makeit clearwithbrackets. Tryit.
Getinthe habitof usingbracketsand you'llsaveyourselfa lot of headachesl)
4) Express 49-Y' as a fraction in the forrn a/b.
ANS: press
which gives 0.142857142.. and you might think it's
irrational but notice the repeat of 142 which suggests
it mat; be a repeating decimal and therefore rational. The.
button reveals all.

5)

The.,

Button

It basicallyturns numbersupside-downand this providestwo very usefulfunctions:

1)MAKING
DIVISIONS
A BITSLICKER
E.g. if you alreadyhave 2.3458328 in the display

and youwantto do 12 + 2.3458328, then youcanjust press

.'

whichdoesthe

division the \,\;ro~i .:.:>"_p and then nips it the ril1htway up!

. El

2) ANALYSING~ECIMALS +0see ifthey rnightbe rational (i.e. sornethingsirnple)e.g. ifthe display

is O.142857W2

anC ~Q~ ~

you'llget 7. rneaningit was In before.

Il

.~

Calculator Buttons
6)

The STANDARDFORM

BUTTON

All you ever use this for is entering numbers written in STANDARDFORM into the
calculator. It would be a lot more helpful if the calculator manufacturers labelled it as
because that's what you should call it as you press it: "Times ten to the power.." For
example to enter 8 x 103 you must only press

BIIB,

11

and NOT, as a lot of people do:

IIEl1I811.

Pressing x 10 as well as EXP is horribly wrone, because the EXP

already contains the x 10 in it. This is why you must always say to yourself "Times ten to
the power.." each time you press the EXP button, to prevent this very common mistake.

TOREADA STANDARDFORMNUMBERFROMTHEDISPLAY:
This must be written as 7.988

7)

Convertin

x 105

{NOT 7.9885}

E.g.

1.986 OS]

YOU have to put the x IOnin yourself.

Time to Hrs Mins and Secswith.

Here1sa tricky detail that comes up when you're doing speed distance and time: convertine
an answer like 2.35 hours into hours and minutes. What it definitely ISN'T is 2 hours and 35
mins

remember your calculator

does not work in hours and minutes unless you tell it to,

as shown below. You'll need to practise with this button, but you'll be glad you did.

. .

1) To ENTERa time in hours. mins and secs

E.g. 5hrs 34mins

and 23 secs,

press 5

34

23

. El

to get[~=--

SO 3 ~~.t3 ).

2) Convertine hours. min and secs to a decimal time:

Enter the number in hours, mins and secs as above.
Thenjust press.

and it should convert it to a decimal like this ~S.Sl{(rSSSS-6).

(Though some older calculators willautomaticall\j convert it to decimal when \jou enter a time in hours, minutes and secs.)

3) To convert a decimaltime as ou alwa s et from a formula into hrs mins and secs:
E.g. To convert 2.35 hours into hrs, mins and secs.
Simply press 2.35

El to enterthe decimal,thenpress...

The display should become

'

The Ac,d
1) Explain what.

and

_.~_.

"221 0), which means 2 hours. 21 mins (and 0 secs).

test '
,

LEARN our oaloulafor buffons. Practise untH'd0u can

answer all ofthese without having to refer back:

III do and give an example of using them.

2) How do you enter a) 88

b) 8 X 108

c) 50-4/5

d) ~4%

23.3 + 35.8
3) Write down what buttons you would press to work this out in one go: 38 x 28.5
4) a) What would 3.4 x 108look like on the display? b) Givetwo uses for

8.

5) a) Convert 4.57 hrs into hrs and mins.

b) Convert 5hrs 32mins and 23secs into decimal hrs.
SECTION ONE

NUMBERS

12

Conversion Factors
Conversion Factors are a m~hty powerful tool for dealinBwith a wide variety of
questions. And what's more the method is real easy. Learn it now. /f's ace.

2)

= 7.75 French Francs. how much is 47.38 Francs in and p'!"

1) Obviously.Conversion Factor = 7.75 (The "exchange rate")
"If 1

2) 47.38 x 7.75 = 387.04

47.38 + 7.75 = 8.11
3) Not quite so obvious this time. but if roughly 8 Francs = 1. then 47
Francs can't be much - certainly not 387. so the answer must be

8.11Q
'~ map has a scale of 1:'QO.OOO.How big in
real life is a distance of 3cm on the maR'!"
1) Conversion Factor

= 20

000

2) 3cm x 20000 = 80000cm

(looks OK)
3cm + 20 000 = 0.00015cm (not good)
3) 90 80.000cm is the answer.
Howdo we convert to metres'!

To Convert 80&000cm to m:

1)C.F. = 100 (cm ~

m)
2) 80.000 x 100 = 8.000,OOOm
(hmm)
80.000 + 100 = 800m
(more likeit)
3) 90 answer = 800m

I) Convert 2.3 Ic-r1 ft}..,. 2) Which is more. 34 or 280 frenoh franos? (Exchange rate = 7.75)
3) A map is ~
+0 a scale of 20m = 5km. A road is 8 km long. Howmany om willthis be on the
1I

rT1ap?
\H + C.F.= 5+2. i.e. lom = 2.5 km)

SECT/O.;::\' -

..BP.S

13

Metric and Imoerial Units

Make sure you learn all these easy facts:

Metric Units
mm, cm, rn, km
mm2, cm2, m2, km2,
mm3, cm3, m3,
litres, ml
g, kg, tonnes
km/h, m/s

1) Leneth
2) Area
3) Volume
4) Weight
5) Bneed

Imoerial Units
1)Leneth
2) Area

LEARN THESE TOO!

Inches, feet, yards, miles

Square inches, square feet,
square yards, square miles
Cubic inches, cubic feet,
gallons, pints
Ounces, pounds, stones, tons
mph

3) Volume
4) Weight
5) Bneed

1 Foot

= 12 Inches

1Yard = 3 Feet
1 Gallon = 8 Pints
1 Stone = 14 pounds (Ibs)
1 Pound = 16 Oun"ces (Oz)

Metri~lmoerialConversions
YOU NEEDTO LEARNTHESE

they DON'T promise to give you these in the

Exam and if they're feeling mean (as they often are), they won't.
APPROXIMATE

CONVERSIONS

4.5 litres

1 kg = 2Y4Ibs

1 gallon =

lm = 1yard (+ 10ro)
1litre = 13/4pints
1inch = 2.5 cm

1foot = 30cm
1metric tonne = 1imperial ton
1mile = 1.8km
or 5 miles = 8 km

UsinaMetric-lffloerial Conversion Factors

1)Convert45mm into crn.
CF = 10, so x and + by 10, to get 450crn or 4.5crn. (Sensible)
2) Convert37 inches into cm.
CF = 2.5, so x and + by 2.5, to get 14.8cm or 92.5crn.
CF = 1%, so x and + by 1.75, to get 3.11or 9.54 pints.
3) Convert5.45 litres into pints
"

'

Tbe A Cld ~, es:t

LEARNthe 21 Conversion factors in the shaded

boxes above.- Then turn over and write them down.

1) How many litres is 3Y2gallons?

2) Roughly how many yards is 200m?
3) A rod is 48 inches long. What is this in cm?
4) Petrol costs 2.83 per gallon. What should it cost per litre?
5) A car travels at 85 mph. What is its speed in km/h?
SECTION ONE

NUMBERS

14

and Estimatin

Accura
riate Accura

To decide what is appropriate accuracy, you need only rernernber these three rules:
1) For fairly casual rneasurerneht~FICA~_JFIGURE9

is rnost approp!!ifill,

- 250g (2 sig fig) of sugar, not 253g (3 9 F), or 300g (1 9 F)

Distanoe of a journey - 450 rniles or 25 miles or 3500 rniles (All2 9 F)
330m2 or 15m2
Area of a garden or floor

EXAMPLES: Cooking

Ateohnioalfigurelike34.2 milesper gallon, rather than 34 mpg.

EXAMPLES:
A length that will be out to fit. e.g. Measure a shelf 25.80m long not just 280m.
Any aoourate measurernent with a ruler:
87.50m not 700m or 87.540m

This is VEH'LEA9Y.so long as you don't over-oomplioate it.

1) ROUND EVERYTHINGOFF to nioe easy CONVENIENT NUMBERS
2) Then WORK OUT THE AN9WER using these nioe easy numbers -

that's it!

In the Exarnyou'll need to show all the steps. to prove you didn't just use a oaloulator.
EXAMPLE: Estirnatethe valueof 127.8+ 41.9 showingall yourworking.
58.5 x 3.2
127.8+41.9 130+ 40 170

Ans:

58.5x3.2

80x3

- -180

(" ~ " means "roughlv equal to" )

Areas and Volumes

"Estimate the area of this shaDe and the volume of the bottle:"

EXAMPLES:

Area ~ reotangle

(~~==?: Volume ouboid

12'7bm

28m x 13m = 338rn2

(or without a oaloulator:
30 x 10 = 300m2)

':'I
.

~
,

_.

5.2cm:,

: :lOcm=4 x 4 x 10
I I

::
'J

= 1800m3

!...
_~~ J-~~

Looks horrible - but it's OK if you

know your square numbers (P.1).
11,1"~r.m':':t!or:f.'i

EXAMPLE: "Estimate .J85 without using a calculator."

CD The square numbers @ The square roots are 9 and 10. so -J85 rnust be between 9 and 10. But
either side of 85
85 is rnuoh nearer 81 than 100. so-J85 rnust be much nearer 9 than 10.
are 81 and 100.
90 pick 9.1. 9.2 or 9.3. (Theanswer'sactually9.2195... if you'reinterested.)

Tb e ACl

.d

'

.es:

LEARNthe 3 Rules for A

~.Thenturn

ro riate Aocurao and 8 Rules

overandwritethemalldown.

1) Decidewhiohcategory of accuracy these shouldbelongin and round them off aooordingly:

a) Ajar of jarn weighs 34.58g b) A car's rnax speed is 134.25rnph 0) A cake needs 852.3g of flour
2) Estimate the area of Great Britain in 9quare miles. and the volume of a milk bottle in crn3.
3) Without your catcu!ator, estimate: a).J12. b).JI04. c).J52 d) vI30 .
SECTION OVE

- .\,..,,,'8/?S

Rounded Off Values

You should be confident about rounding numbers off to a certain number of decimal places or
significantfigures. If /Jets tricky when they start askin/Jabout the maximum and minimum
values possible for a given levelof accuracy in the rounding. There are three main aspects
specificallymentioned in the syllabus, and this topic is very popular with the Examiners.

er and Lower bounds of a Sinale Measurement

1) Findin
The simple rule is this:

The real value can be as much as HALF THE ROUNDED.

UNIT above and below the rounded-off value

E..g. If a len.gth is .given as 2.4 m to the nearest 0.1 m, the rounded unit is 0.1 m so the real value oould be
anythin.g up to 2.4m z 0.05m .givin.g answers of 2.45m and 2.35m for the upper and lower bounds.

2) The Maximum and Minimum Possible Valuesof a Calculation

When a calculation is done using rounded-off values there will be a DISCREPANCY
between the CALCULATED
VALUEand the ACTUALVALUE:
EXAMPLE:A floor is measured as being 5.3 m x 4.2 m to the nearest 10 cm.
Thisgives an area of 22.28 m2, but this is not the actual floor area because
the real values could be anything from 5.25 m to 5.35 m and 4.15 m to 4.25 m,
:. Maximum possible floor area = 5.35 x 4.25 = 22.7g]5 m2,
:. Minimum possible floor area = 5.25 x 4.15 = 21.7875 m2.

3) Maximum Percentage Error

from the
Having found the two possible extreme values. the one which is FARTHEST
rounded value will give the maximum percentage error using this familiar formula:

E..g. for the above rectan.gle the max error is 22.7375

0.4775
22.28

- 22.26 = 0.4775 so the max percenta.geerroris

x 100 = 2.15%

4) Alas it is not alwavs so simple...

In many formulas (especially in Exam Questions) it ISN'T the biggest input values that

give the maximum result. Consider

z = x +
The maximum value for z will result
from the maximum value for x coupled with the minimum value for y.
So when the question looks more complicated, the safest method is to work out the
answer usinJJall four combinations and see which combinations give the maximum and
minimum results.

1) x and y are rneasured as 2.32rn and O.45rn to the nearest O.01rn. T is given by T = (x

- y)/y .

Rnd the rnaxirnurnpossiblepercentageerror in T if the roundedvaluesof x and y are usedto calculateit.

SECTION ONE

NUMBERS

16

Revision Summary for Section

One

I know these questions seem difficult, but theV are the verv best revision vou can do. The whole
point of revision, remember, is to find out what vou don't know and then learn it until vou do.
These searching questions test how much you know beHer than anvthine else ever can. They
follow the sequence of pages in Section One, so you can easily look up anything you don't know.

Kee learnin these basic facts until DUknow them

1) What

are square numbers, cube numbers, triangle numbers and prime numbers?
2) List the first ten of each from memory. Then write down the first 5 powers of 2 and the
first 5 powers of 10.
3) What are the three steps of the method for determining prime numbers?
4) What are a) multiples,
b) factors,
c) prime factors?
5) List the first five multiples of 13, and all the factors of 80.
6) Give details of five different things you can do with the Fraction Button.
7) Describe in words the method for each of the 4 rules for doing fractions by hand.
8) Do your own example to illustrate each of the three types of percentage question.
9) What is the formula for percentage change? Give two examples of its use.
10) Name three different forms that a rational number can take, and give examples.
11) Describe two forms that an irrational number can take, with examples.
12) What is generally the best way of identifying a number as rational or irrational?
13) Explain the process for finding an irrational number between say 14 and 19.
14) Demonstrate the 2 methods for "doing" recurring decimals.
15) Write down all you know about manipulating surds.
16) What are the 2 formulas for finding the nth term of a sequence?
17) What type of sequence does each formula apply to?
18) Illustrate four extreme uses of the powers button.
19) Explain exactly what BODMASis. Does your calculator know about it?
20) Give a good example of where the brackets buttons should be used.
21) Give a good example of where the memory buttons should be used.
22) Should you use all these useful features when you're working things out?
23) Which button is useful for analysing awkward decimals? Give an example.
24) Which is the standard form button? What would you press to enter 6x108?
25) Which button can be used to enter hours, minutes and seconds?
26) Explain how to do so and also what to press to convert to a decimal time.
27) What is the difference between decimal time and ordinary time?
28) What are the three steps for using conversion factors? Give 3 examples.
29) Give 8 metric conversions, 5 imperial ones, and 8 metric-to-imperial.
30) Give three rules for deciding on appropriate accuracy.
31) Give 2 rules for working out approximate answers to formulas.
32) Give two rules for working out approximate areas and volumes.
33) Estimate the following square roots: .Ji4,.J70, .J32, .J35
34) How do you determine the upper and lower bounds of a rounded measurement?
35) Explain how a calculated answer can have a range of possible values.
36) How do you find the maximum possible error?
37) How do find the maximum possible percentaBe error?
38) What is the worst situation for this and how do you deal with it?

SECTIONONE "

NUMBERS