UNIT OVERVIEW

Algebra uses letters to represent numbers we don't know yet. This lets us write general rules and solve problems.

Example: You want to calculate the cost of buying apples, but you don't know how many yet.

• In arithmetic, you wait until you know the number.
• In algebra, you write: Cost = $5 \times n$ (where $n$ is the number of apples)

This unit covers:

• The language and rules of algebra
• Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing algebraic expressions
• Expanding brackets and simplifying
• Factorisation (the reverse of expanding)
• Substitution (finding values)

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