Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics · Syllabus 0580 · Algebra and Graphs
Algebraic Manipulation
What is Algebraic Manipulation?
The rewriting of an algebraic expression into a different but equivalent form, so that the same quantity is expressed in a shape better suited to the question. Expanding removes brackets by multiplying out and factorising restores brackets by extracting common structure; on the Extended route the same idea extends to a full set of factorising patterns and to completing the square, which rewrites a quadratic as a squared bracket plus a constant. Every such rewrite must hold for every value of the letter, and in Cambridge usage factorise always means factorise fully.
This definition is part of the Algebra and Graphs chapter in Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics.