AASL-Topic 1 Numbers and Algebra Paper-2 [244 marks]

1. [Maximum mark: 6] SPM.2.SL.TZ0.3

On 1st January 2020, Laurie invests $P in an account that pays a nominal annual
interest rate of 5.5 %, compounded quarterly.

The amount of money in Laurie’s account at the end of each year follows a
geometric sequence with common ratio, r.

(a) Find the value of r, giving your answer to four significant

figures. [3]

(b) Laurie makes no further deposits to or withdrawals from the

account.

Find the year in which the amount of money in Laurie’s account

will become double the amount she invested. [3]
2. [Maximum mark: 12] EXN.2.SL.TZ0.7
Helen and Jane both commence new jobs each starting on an annual salary of
$70, 000. At the start of each new year, Helen receives an annual salary
increase of $2400.

Let $H n represent Helen’s annual salary at the start of her nth year of
employment.

(a) Show that H n = 2400n + 67 600. [2]

At the start of each new year, Jane receives an annual salary increase of 3% of
her previous year’s annual salary.

Jane’s annual salary, $J n , at the start of her nth year of employment is given by
n−1
J n = 70 000(1. 03) .

(b) Given that J n follows a geometric sequence, state the value of

the common ratio, r. [1]

At the start of year N , Jane’s annual salary exceeds Helen’s annual salary for
the first time.

(c.i) Find the value of N . [3]

(c.ii) For the value of N found in part (c) (i), state Helen’s annual
salary and Jane’s annual salary, correct to the nearest dollar. [2]

(d) Find Jane’s total earnings at the start of her 10th year of
employment. Give your answer correct to the nearest dollar. [4]
3. [Maximum mark: 5] 22N.2.SL.TZ0.4
geometric sequence has a first term of 50 and a fourth term of 86. 4.

The sum of the first n terms of the sequence is S n .

Find the smallest value of n such that S n > 33 500. [5]

4. [Maximum mark: 6] 22N.2.SL.TZ0.6
9
(ax+1)
Consider the expansion of 21x
2
, where a ≠ 0. The coefficient of

the term in x is
4 8

7
a
5
.

Find the value of a. [6]

5. [Maximum mark: 6] 22M.2.SL.TZ1.1
In this question, give all answers correct to two decimal places.

Sam invests $1700 in a savings account that pays a nominal annual rate of
interest of 2. 74%, compounded half-yearly. Sam makes no further payments
to, or withdrawals from, this account.

(a) Find the amount that Sam will have in his account after 10
years. [3]

David also invests $1700 in a savings account that pays an annual rate of
interest of r%, compounded yearly. David makes no further payments or
withdrawals from this account.

(b) Find the value of r required so that the amount in David’s

account after 10 years will be equal to the amount in Sam’s
account. [2]
(c) Find the interest David will earn over the 10 years. [1]
6. [Maximum mark: 6] 22M.2.SL.TZ2.3
Gemma and Kaia started working for different companies on January 1st 2011.

Gemma’s starting annual salary was $45 000, and her annual salary increases
2% on January 1st each year after 2011.

(a) Find Gemma’s annual salary for the year 2021, to the nearest
dollar. [3]

Kaia’s annual salary is based on a yearly performance review. Her salary for the
years 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2022 is shown in the following table.

(b) Assuming Kaia’s annual salary can be approximately modelled

by the equation S = ax + b, show that Kaia had a higher
salary than Gemma in the year 2021, according to the model. [3]
7. [Maximum mark: 9] 21N.2.SL.TZ0.6
The sum of the first n terms of a geometric sequence is given by
n
r
2 7
Sn = Σ
3
(
8
) .
r=1

(a) Find the first term of the sequence, u 1 . [2]

(b) Find S ∞ . [3]

(c) Find the least value of n such that S ∞ − S n < 0. 001. [4]
8. [Maximum mark: 5] 21M.2.SL.TZ1.6
Consider the expansion of (3 + x 2 ) n+1 , where n ∈ Z
+
.

Given that the coefficient of x 4 is 20 412, find the value of n. [5]

9. [Maximum mark: 16] 21M.2.SL.TZ1.7
Two friends Amelia and Bill, each set themselves a target of saving $20 000.
They each have $9000 to invest.

Amelia invests her $9000 in an account that offers an interest rate of 7% per
annum compounded annually.

(a.i) Find the value of Amelia’s investment after 5 years to the

nearest hundred dollars. [3]

(a.ii) Determine the number of years required for Amelia’s

investment to reach the target. [2]

(b) Bill invests his $9000 in an account that offers an interest rate
of r% per annum compounded monthly, where r is set to two
 decimal places.

Find the minimum value of r needed for Bill to reach the target
after 10 years. [3]

A third friend Chris also wants to reach the $20 000 target. He puts his money in
a safe where he does not earn any interest. His system is to add more money to
this safe each year. Each year he will add half the amount added in the previous
year.

(c.i) Show that Chris will never reach the target if his initial deposit is
$9000. [5]
(c.ii) Find the amount Chris needs to deposit initially in order to
reach the target after 5 years. Give your answer to the nearest
dollar. [3]
10. [Maximum mark: 16] 21M.2.SL.TZ1.7
Two friends Amelia and Bill, each set themselves a target of saving $20 000.
They each have $9000 to invest.

Amelia invests her $9000 in an account that offers an interest rate of 7% per
annum compounded annually.

(a.i) Find the value of Amelia’s investment after 5 years to the

nearest hundred dollars. [3]

(a.ii) Determine the number of years required for Amelia’s

investment to reach the target. [2]

(b) Bill invests his $9000 in an account that offers an interest rate
of r% per annum compounded monthly, where r is set to two
 decimal places.

Find the minimum value of r needed for Bill to reach the target
after 10 years. [3]

A third friend Chris also wants to reach the $20 000 target. He puts his money in
a safe where he does not earn any interest. His system is to add more money to
this safe each year. Each year he will add half the amount added in the previous
year.

(c.i) Show that Chris will never reach the target if his initial deposit is
$9000. [5]
(c.ii) Find the amount Chris needs to deposit initially in order to
reach the target after 5 years. Give your answer to the nearest
dollar. [3]
11. [Maximum mark: 5] 21M.2.SL.TZ2.3
An arithmetic sequence has first term 60 and common difference −2. 5.

(a) Given that the kth term of the sequence is zero, find the value
of k. [2]

(b) Let S n denote the sum of the first n terms of the sequence.

Find the maximum value of S n . [3]

12. [Maximum mark: 15] 21M.2.SL.TZ2.9
All answers in this question should be given to four significant figures.

In a local weekly lottery, tickets cost $2 each.

In the first week of the lottery, a player will receive $D for each ticket, with the
probability distribution shown in the following table. For example, the
probability of a player receiving $10 is 0. 03. The grand prize in the first week
of the lottery is $1000.

(a) Find the value of c. [2]

(b) Determine whether this lottery is a fair game in the first week.
Justify your answer. [4]
If nobody wins the grand prize in the first week, the probabilities will remain the
same, but the value of the grand prize will be $2000 in the second week, and
the value of the grand prize will continue to double each week until it is won. All
other prize amounts will remain the same.

(c) Given that the grand prize is not won and the grand prize
continues to double, write an expression in terms of n for the
value of the grand prize in the nth week of the lottery. [2]

(d) The wth week is the first week in which the player is expected
to make a profit. Ryan knows that if he buys a lottery ticket in
the wth week, his expected profit is $p.

Find the value of p. [7]

13. [Maximum mark: 6] 20N.2.SL.TZ0.S_5
9
Consider the expansion of (3x 2 , where k > 0.
k
− )
x

The coefficient of the term in x 6 is 6048. Find the value of k. [6]

14. [Maximum mark: 16] 20N.2.SL.TZ0.T_5
A large underground tank is constructed at Mills Airport to store fuel. The tank is
in the shape of an isosceles trapezoidal prism, ABCDEFGH.

AB = 70 m , AF = 200 m, AD = 40 m, BC = 40 m and

CD = 110 m. Angle ADC = 60° and angle BCD = 60°. The tank is
illustrated below.

(a) Find h, the height of the tank. [2]

(b) Show that the volume of the tank is 624 000 m 3 , correct to
three significant figures. [3]
Once construction was complete, a fuel pump was used to pump fuel into the
empty tank. The amount of fuel pumped into the tank by this pump each hour
decreases as an arithmetic sequence with terms u 1 , u 2 , u 3 , … , u n .

Part of this sequence is shown in the table.

(c) Write down the common difference, d. [1]

(d) Find the amount of fuel pumped into the tank in the 13th
hour. [2]
(e.i) Find the value of n such that u n = 0. [2]

(e.ii) Write down the number of hours that the pump was pumping
fuel into the tank. [1]

At the end of the 2nd hour, the total volume of fuel in the tank was 88 200 m 3 .

(f ) Find the total amount of fuel pumped into the tank in the first 8
hours. [2]
(g) Show that the tank will never be completely filled using this
pump. [3]
15. [Maximum mark: 8] 20N.2.SL.TZ0.S_6
An infinite geometric series has first term u 1 = a and second term

− 3a, where a > 0.

1 2
u2 = a
4

(a) Find the common ratio in terms of a. [2]

(b) Find the values of a for which the sum to infinity of the series
exists. [3]

(c) Find the value of a when S ∞ = 76. [3]

16. [Maximum mark: 7] 19N.2.SL.TZ0.S_5
The first two terms of a geometric sequence are u 1 = 2.1 and u 2 = 2.226.

(a) Find the value of r. [2]

(b) Find the value of u 10 . [2]

(c) Find the least value of n such that S n > 5543. [3]
17. [Maximum mark: 7] 19M.2.SL.TZ1.S_7
The first terms of an infinite geometric sequence, u n , are 2, 6, 18, 54, …

The first terms of a second infinite geometric sequence, v n , are 2, −6, 18, −54, …

The terms of a third sequence, w n , are defined as w n = un + vn .

225 m

The finite series, ∑ wk , can also be written in the form ∑ 4r

k
.
k=1 k=0

(a) Write down the first three non-zero terms of w n . [3]

(b.i) Find the value of r. [2]

(b.ii) Find the value of m. [2]

18. [Maximum mark: 14] 19M.2.SL.TZ1.T_5
John purchases a new bicycle for 880 US dollars (USD) and pays for it with a
Canadian credit card. There is a transaction fee of 4.2 % charged to John by the
credit card company to convert this purchase into Canadian dollars (CAD).

The exchange rate is 1 USD = 1.25 CAD.

(a) Calculate, in CAD, the total amount John pays for the bicycle. [3]

John insures his bicycle with a US company. The insurance company produces
the following table for the bicycle’s value during each year.

The values of the bicycle form a geometric sequence.

(b) Find the value of the bicycle during the 5th year. Give your
answer to two decimal places. [3]

(c) Calculate, in years, when the bicycle value will be less than 50
USD. [2]

During the 1st year John pays 120 USD to insure his bicycle. Each year the
amount he pays to insure his bicycle is reduced by 3.50 USD.

(d) Find the total amount John has paid to insure his bicycle for the
first 5 years. [3]
(e) John purchased the bicycle in 2008.

Justify why John should not insure his bicycle in 2019. [3]
19. [Maximum mark: 11] 19M.2.SL.TZ2.T_6
Tommaso plans to compete in a regional bicycle race after he graduates,
however he needs to buy a racing bicycle. He finds a bicycle that costs 1100 euro
(EUR). Tommaso has 950 EUR and invests this money in an account that pays 5 %
interest per year, compounded monthly.

(a) Determine the amount that he will have in his account after 3
years. Give your answer correct to two decimal places. [3]

The cost of the bicycle, C , can be modelled by C = 20x + 1100, where x is

the number of years since Tommaso invested his money.

(b) Find the difference between the cost of the bicycle and the
amount of money in Tommaso’s account after 3 years. Give your
answer correct to two decimal places. [3]
(c) After m complete months Tommaso will, for the first time, have
enough money in his account to buy the bicycle.

Find the value of m. [5]

20. [Maximum mark: 12] 19M.2.SL.TZ2.S_10
In an arithmetic sequence, u 1 = 1.3 , u 2 = 1.4 and u k = 31.2.

(b) Find the exact value of S k . [2]

Consider the terms, u n , of this sequence such that n ≤ k.

Let F be the sum of the terms for which n is not a multiple of 3.

(c) Show that F = 3240. [5]

(d) An infinite geometric series is given as
+ …, a ∈ Z .
a a +
S∞ = a + +
√2 2

Find the largest value of a such that S ∞ < F. [5]

21. [Maximum mark: 8] 18M.2.SL.TZ1.S_7
πx

Let f (x) = e
2 sin(
2
)
, for x > 0.

The k th maximum point on the graph of f has x-coordinate xk where k ∈ Z

+
.

(a) Given that xk + 1 = xk + a, find a. [4]

(b) n

Hence find the value of n such that ∑ x k = 861.

k=1
[4]
22. [Maximum mark: 13] 18M.2.SL.TZ1.S_8
The following table shows values of ln x and ln y.

The relationship between ln x and ln y can be modelled by the regression

equation ln y = a ln x + b.

(a) Find the value of a and of b. [3]

(b) Use the regression equation to estimate the value of y when x =

3.57. [3]
(c) The relationship between x and y can be modelled using the
formula y = kxn, where k ≠ 0 , n ≠ 0 , n ≠ 1.

By expressing ln y in terms of ln x, find the value of n and of k. [7]

23. [Maximum mark: 7] 18M.2.SL.TZ2.S_4
The first term of an infinite geometric sequence is 4. The sum of the infinite
sequence is 200.

(a) Find the common ratio. [2]

(b) Find the sum of the first 8 terms. [2]

(c) Find the least value of n for which Sn > 163. [3]
24. [Maximum mark: 6] 18M.2.SL.TZ2.T_4
A new café opened and during the first week their profit was $60.

The café’s profit increases by $10 every week.

(b) Calculate the café’s total profit for the first 12 weeks. [3]

A new tea-shop opened at the same time as the café. During the first week their
profit was also $60.

The tea-shop’s profit increases by 10 % every week.

(d) Calculate the tea-shop’s total profit for the first 12 weeks. [3]
25. [Maximum mark: 7] 18M.2.SL.TZ2.S_4
The first term of an infinite geometric sequence is 4. The sum of the infinite
sequence is 200.

(a) Find the common ratio. [2]

(b) Find the sum of the first 8 terms. [2]

(c) Find the least value of n for which Sn > 163. [3]
26. [Maximum mark: 15] 17N.2.SL.TZ0.T_2
Rosa joins a club to prepare to run a marathon. During the first training session
Rosa runs a distance of 3000 metres. Each training session she increases the
distance she runs by 400 metres.

(a.i) Write down the distance Rosa runs in the third training session; [1]

(a.ii) Write down the distance Rosa runs in the nth training session. [2]

A marathon is 42.195 kilometres.

In the kth training session Rosa will run further than a marathon for the first time.

(b) Find the value of k. [2]

(c) Calculate the total distance, in kilometres, Rosa runs in the first
50 training sessions. [4]

Carlos joins the club to lose weight. He runs 7500 metres during the first month.
The distance he runs increases by 20% each month.

(d) Find the distance Carlos runs in the fifth month of training. [3]

(e) Calculate the total distance Carlos runs in the first year. [3]
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