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 are like terms?

Back

Like terms are terms in an expression that have the same variable and exponent. For example, 3x and 5x are like terms, while 3x and 4y are not.

Front

How do you combine the like terms 6x and 7x?

Back

You add the coefficients of the like terms: 6x + 7x = (6 + 7)x = 13x.

Front

What is the result of combining the like terms a + a + a + a?

Back

The result is 4a, since you are adding the coefficient of 1 for each 'a' together: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4.

Front

How do you simplify the expression 3x + 2x?

Back

You combine the like terms by adding the coefficients: 3x + 2x = (3 + 2)x = 5x.

Front

What is the result of the expression 3x - 5x?

Back

The result is -2x, since you subtract the coefficients: 3 - 5 = -2.

Front

How do you simplify the expression 2x + 1 + 7x?

Back

You combine the like terms 2x and 7x: 2x + 7x = 9x, so the simplified expression is 9x + 1.

Front

What is the coefficient in the term 4a?

Back

The coefficient is 4, which is the number that multiplies the variable 'a'.

Front

Can constants be combined with like terms?

Back

No, constants cannot be combined with variable terms. They can only be combined with other constants.

Front

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

Back

The first step is to identify and group all the like terms together.