# MAT - Paper 2013 - Q1F

> Source: https://ollybritton.com/notes/maths/problems/mat/2013/q1f/ · Updated: 2021-09-07 · Tags: mat, notes, maths

## Flashcards
##### What should you do when reading a MAT question??
Circle any constaints like _positive_, _whole_, _negative_.

##### "Three positive numbers $a$, $b$, $c$ satisfy..." What should you do here??
Circle the word "positive".

##### When given a question about the potential solutions (e.g. there is one solution, there is two solutions, there are infinitely many solutions) to a system of equations, what should you do??
Try and solve it and see what issues come up.

##### $$b^4 - b^3 = 8$$ If you can't factorise $b^4 - b^3 - 8$, what could you still do instead that might be useful??
$$
b^3(b - 1) = 8
$$

##### If $b$ has to be positive, what is one solution to $$b^3(b - 1) = 8$$??
$$
b = 2
$$

##### When you have an equation like $$b^2 = a$$ in a system of equations, how can you rewrite it so that inferences are easier??
$$
a = b^2
$$

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