Combining Like Terms

Front

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

Back

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

Front

What are like terms?

Back

Like terms are terms in an algebraic expression 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 identify like terms in an expression?

Back

To identify like terms, look for terms that have the same variable(s) and exponent(s). For example, in the expression 2a + 3b + 4a, the like terms are 2a and 4a.

Front

What is the first step in simplifying an expression by combining like terms?

Back

The first step is to group the like terms together in the expression.

Front

If you have the expression 7x + 2y - 3x + 5y, how would you simplify it?

Back

You would combine like terms: (7x - 3x) + (2y + 5y) = 4x + 7y.

Front

What is the result of combining the like terms in the expression 4a + 6b - 2a + 3b?

Back

The result is (4a - 2a) + (6b + 3b) = 2a + 9b.

Front

In the expression 5x + 3y + 5 + 4x + 3y + y + 8, how do you combine like terms?

Back

Group the like terms: (5x + 4x) + (3y + 3y + y) + (5 + 8) = 9x + 7y + 13.

Front

What is the simplified form of the expression 2r + 2 + 5r - 2 + r?

Back

The simplified form is 8r.

Front

How do you handle constants when combining like terms?

Back

Constants are combined separately from variable terms. For example, in the expression 3 + 5 - 2, you would combine the constants to get 6.

Front

What is the simplified result of the expression -2x + 11 + 6x?

Back

The simplified result is 4x + 11.