Simplifying Expressions

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What is the process of simplifying an expression?

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The process of simplifying an expression involves combining like terms and performing any necessary arithmetic operations to reduce the expression to its simplest form.

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What are like terms in an algebraic expression?

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

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How do you combine like terms?

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To combine like terms, add or subtract the coefficients of the terms that have the same variable. For example, 3x + 2x = 5x.

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What is the distributive property?

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The distributive property states that a(b + c) = ab + ac. It allows you to multiply a single term by each term inside a parentheses.

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How do you apply the distributive property to simplify an expression?

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To apply the distributive property, multiply the term outside the parentheses by each term inside the parentheses and then combine like terms if possible.

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What is a constant term in an algebraic expression?

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A constant term is a term that does not contain any variables. For example, in the expression 3y + 5, the number 5 is the constant term.

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What does it mean to factor an expression?

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Factoring an expression means rewriting it as a product of its factors. For example, 5x + 15 can be factored as 5(x + 3).

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

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The first step is to combine like terms: (1y - 3y) and (-2x + 4x), which simplifies to -2y + 2x.

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What is the result of simplifying the expression 5(2 - 7n)?

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The result is 10 - 35n, obtained by applying the distributive property.

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What is the difference between an expression and an equation?

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An expression is a combination of numbers, variables, and operations without an equality sign, while an equation states that two expressions are equal, indicated by an equality sign.