Combining Like Terms

Front

What does it mean to combine like terms in an expression?

Back

Combining like terms means to simplify an expression by adding or subtracting terms that have the same variable raised to the same power.

Front

What is a like term?

Back

Like terms are terms that have the same variable(s) raised to the same power. For example, 3x and 5x are like terms, while 3x and 4y are not.

Front

How do you simplify the expression -2x + 8y + 10x?

Back

You combine the like terms -2x and 10x to get 8x, resulting in the simplified expression 8x + 8y.

Front

What is the distributive property?

Back

The distributive property states that a(b + c) = ab + ac, meaning you can distribute a factor across terms inside parentheses.

Front

How do you apply the distributive property to the expression 5(2x - 8)?

Back

You multiply 5 by each term inside the parentheses: 5 * 2x = 10x and 5 * -8 = -40, resulting in 10x - 40.

Front

What is the first step in simplifying the expression 3(2x - 4) + 6x - 1?

Back

The first step is to apply the distributive property to 3(2x - 4), which gives you 6x - 12.

Front

After applying the distributive property, how do you combine like terms in the expression 6x - 12 + 6x - 1?

Back

You combine the like terms 6x and 6x to get 12x, and then combine -12 and -1 to get -13, resulting in 12x - 13.

Front

What is the result of factoring the expression 5x + 15?

Back

Factoring gives you 5(x + 3), as 5 is the common factor.

Front

How many terms are in the expression 3x + 2y + z?

Back

There are 3 terms in the expression: 3x, 2y, and z.

Front

What is the difference between a term and a coefficient?

Back

A term is a single mathematical expression, which can be a number, variable, or a combination of both. A coefficient is a numerical factor in a term, such as the 3 in 3x.