Introduction

Purpose
If you are reading this, you probably like
math and enjoy thinking about challenging
problems. The purpose of this book is to
help you develop a robust set of strategies
for solving a broad range of problems. These
strategies are suciently broad-based to be
of value in the course of your education, and
possibly in your career, but our focus will be
on mathematics competitions.

problems are significantly harder than, or

at least dierent from, those that you are
likely to encounter in a homework
assignment. Finally, we assume that you
are willing to commit about an hour a day
for twenty weeks in order to achieve
greater success on the contests.

We assume that you are familiar with the

topics that are typically covered in high
school geometry and first- and secondyear algebra. However, you can still use
this book if there are gaps in your
knowledge. Each section will contain a
list of the tools (i.e., facts, formulas, and
techniques) that you will need to solve
the problems in the section. The internet
abounds with web sites that can help
you develop the needed tools.

If the above is at least somewhat descriptive

of you, then how are we defining success?
Well, to be clear from the outset, we do not
define it as getting a perfect score on a
national math contest. In fact, if you are
among the small group of students for whom
a perfect score is a realistic goal, you are
well beyond the level of what is being taught
here. Of course, if you enjoy the process of
participating and doing your best, you are
already having a successful experience in a
meaningful way. What this book and its
companion volumes can oer you in addition
is an opportunity to develop the techniques
and strategies needed to place among the
top 5-10% of the participants in a typical
contest. We hope you will agree that this is a
significant measure of success in the world
of math contests.

We assume that you have attempted, or

at least seen, a national high school
math contest. If not, you can obtain
mock contests, similar to the American
AMC 10 and AMC 12 contests, at
www.edfinity.com. We also assume that
you have had limited success in solving
the problems on the contests. This is
because the majority of contest

Each volume in this series is divided into six

sections, each of which illustrates the
application of a general problem-solving
method to problems in a specific content
area. Because each section is designed to
be mastered in about three hours, you
should be able to finish each volume in
about four weeks by devoting about an hour
a day to it.

Because no book can be appropriate for

students at all levels, we are making a few
assumptions about you:

Zen Series High School Algebra

The volumes can be read in any order, but we recommend the following sequence:

Weeks

1-4

Volume 1 (algebra)

Weeks

5-8

Volume 2 (geometry)

Weeks

9-12

Volume 3 (discrete math)

Weeks

13-16

Volume 4 (number theory)

Weeks

17-20

Volume 5 (advanced topics)

If youre still reading, youre ready to begin. Heres wishing you many hours of hard, but
enjoyable, work.

Zen Series High School Algebra

1.1 Linear and Absolute Value Equations

Prerequisites
Definitions
The slope of a straight line containing points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) is
The absolute value of a real number x is x =

y2 y1
.
x2 x1

xifx 0
{xifx < 0

Facts and formulas

The equation of a straight line can be written in slope-intercept form as y = mx + b, in
point-slope form as y y1 = m(x x1), or in general form as Ax + By = C.
A line whose equation is y = mx + b has slope m and y-intercept b.
A line whose equation is y y1 = m(x x1) has slope m and contains the point
(x1, y1).
A line whose equation is Ax + By = C has slope AB and y-intercept
B 0. The line has x-intercept CA , provided that A 0.

C
B

, provided that

Basic skills
Before beginning this section, you should be able to do all of the following.
Solve a linear equation or inequality in one variable.
Solve a linear absolute value equation or inequality in one variable.
Graph a linear equation y = mx + b.
Find the slope of a line that contains two given points.
Find an equation to describe a line when given:
its slope and the coordinates of one point on the line, or

Zen Series High School Algebra

 the coordinates of two points on the line.

Graph an absolute value equation y = a|x h| + k.
Graph a piecewise linear equation.

Tools for Solving Contest Problems

A line perpendicular to a line with slope m has slope m1 .

EXAMPLE: A bug starts at the origin of the coordinate plane and crawls 5 units along the line
3
y = x, ending at a point in the first quadrant. It then makes a 90 turn to its left and crawls an4
other 5 units. Finally it makes a 90 turn to its right and continues to crawl. It is now crawling on a
line y = m x + b. What is b?

A.

31

5

B.

25

4

C.

32

5

D.

33

5

E.

27
4

Answer B
Solution
Step 1: Understand the problem
The problem describes the path of a bug that crawls in the coordinate plane, and you
need to find the equation of the line on which the bug ends up. It will help to draw a
picture to illustrate the bug's path. Your picture should contain a line segment going
upward and to the right from the origin, a second line segment perpendicular to the first
and going upward and to the left, and finally a third line segment parallel to the first, again
going upward and to the right.

Zen Series High School Algebra

Step 2: Devise a plan

You know the equation of the first line and how far the bug crawls along it, so you should
be able to figure out where the bug makes its left turn. Then you can choose a tool to find
the equation of the second line. You will know the coordinates of one point on the line, and
you can find its slope because it is perpendicular to the first line. From there you should be
able to find the point where the bug makes its right turn. That will give you a point on the
third line, and you can find its slope because it is parallel to the first line. That will be
enough information to let you find the equation of the third line and answer the question.

Step 3: Carry out the plan

To make your calculations a bit easier, look for structures and patterns in the given
3
information. At first the bug crawls 5 units on a line with slope , so your picture may
4
3
involve a 3 - 4 - 5 right angle. In fact, the point (4, 3) is on the line y = x and is 5 units
4
from the origin, so that is where the bug is when it makes its left turn. (See also Note 1.)
After making its left turn, the bug is on a line that is perpendicular to the first line, so it has
4
slope . Sketch another 3 - 4 - 5 right triangle in your picture to conclude that this
3
segment of the bug's path must end at a point that is 4 units above and 3 units to the left
of (4, 3). That is, the bug is at (1, 7) when it makes its right turn.
After making its right turn, the bug is on a line that is parallel to the first line, so this line
3
has slope and contains the point (1, 7).
4
3
Therefore its equation in point-slope form is y = 7+ (x 1). The slope-intercept form of
4
3
25
25
the equation is y = x + , so b =
.
4
4
4

Zen Series High School Algebra

Note 1: If you don't notice the 3 - 4 - 5 right triangle, you can proceed as follows. A point
3
3
on the line y = x has coordinates a, a , and its distance from the origin is
( 4 )
4
3 2 5
a + ( a) =
a . Setting this distance equal to 5 gives the positive solution a = 4.
4
4
2

The graph of an equation y = a|x h| + k is v-shaped. The graph opens upward if a > 0
and downward if a < 0, and its vertex is the point (h, k).
EXAMPLE: The graphs of y = x 10 and y = k x h intersect at exactly two points, the sum
of whose xcoordinates is 28. What is h?

A. 14

Answer C

B. 16

C. 18

D.19

E. 20

Solution
Step 1: Understand the problem
It will help to draw a picture. The graphs of y = x 10 and y = k x h are both Vshaped. The first graph opens upward and has its vertex at (10, 0). The second graph
opens downward and has its vertex at (h, k). The two graphs intersect at two points, so it
must be that (h, k) is inside the V of the first graph. To find the value of h you will need to
use the fact that the x- coordinates of the two points of intersection have a sum of 28.

Zen Series High School Algebra

Step 2: Devise a plan

You will need to focus on the unknown x coordinates at the points of intersection. The
two graphs have the same y coordinate at each of these points, so if you name the
unknowns, you should be able to take a possible step by writing a couple of equations.
Once you do so, you might be able to identify a path to the answer.

Step 3: Carry out the plan

Let the x coordinate at the leftmost point of intersection be a. The two graphs have the
same y coordinate when x = a, so a 10 = k a h .To eliminate the absolute value
signs, refer to your sketch, which should tell you that a < 10 and a < h, so the equation
becomes 10 a = k (h a) or

2a h + k = 10 .

(See Note 1.) The other point of intersection has xcoordinate 28 a , so

(28 a) 10 = k (28 a) h .
Your sketch should also tell you that 28 a > 10 and 28 a > h, so the equation becomes
28 a 10 = k (28 a h) or

2a + h + k = 46 .

Subtracting corresponding sides of the two equations then gives 2h = 36 and h = 18 .

Note 1: To verify that a < 10 and a < h, note that the slope of the graph of y = x 10 is
1 if x < 10 and 1 if x > 10, and the slope of the graph of y = k x h is 1 if x < h and
1 if x > h.
The leftmost point of intersection must occur where the first graph has slope 1 nd the
second graph has slope 1, and it follows that a < 10 and a < h. Similarly, 28 a > 10, and
28 a > h.
Note 2: An alternate path to the solution is to recall that the two graphs consist of portions
of lines with slopes 1 and 1.
Therefore the vertices of the two graphs and their two points of intersection are the four
vertices of a rectangle. The midpoint of one diagonal has an xcoordinate that is the
average of the x coordinates at the points of intersection, which is 14. This point is also
Zen Series High School Algebra

the midpoint of the other diagonal, so its xcoordinate is also the average of the
10 + h
10 + h
x coordinates of the vertices, which is
, therefore
= 14, and h = 18.
2
2
Note 3: The values of a and k are not uniquely determined. Try to write an argument to
show that a can be any real number less than 10 and kcan be any real number greater
than 8.

Exercises
Solve problems 1 to 10 in the Edfinity problem set Zen Series High School - Algebra
Section 1.1 - Linear and Absolute Value Equations.

Zen Series High School Algebra