Combining Like Terms & Distributive Property

Front

What is the distributive property in algebra?

Back

The distributive property states that a(b + c) = ab + ac, meaning you multiply the term outside the parentheses by each term inside the parentheses.

Front

How do you combine like terms in an expression?

Back

To combine like terms, identify terms that have the same variable raised to the same power and add or subtract their coefficients.

Front

What is a like term?

Back

Like terms are terms that have the same variable raised to the same power, such as 3x and 5x.

Front

What is the first step in simplifying the expression 12x² - 8x + 9 - 7x² + 3x - 5?

Back

The first step is to combine like terms: (12x² - 7x²) + (-8x + 3x) + (9 - 5).

Front

What is the simplified form of the expression 12x² - 8x + 9 - 7x² + 3x - 5?

Back

The simplified form is 5x² - 5x + 4.

Front

What does it mean to simplify an expression?

Back

To simplify an expression means to combine like terms and perform any operations to reduce it to its simplest form.

Front

How do you apply the distributive property to the expression 4(8x + 1)?

Back

You multiply 4 by each term inside the parentheses: 4 * 8x + 4 * 1 = 32x + 4.

Front

What is the result of applying the distributive property to 5(x + 3)?

Back

The result is 5x + 15.

Front

What is the simplified form of the expression 4(8x + 1) - 6(1 - 8x)?

Back

The simplified form is 80x - 2.

Front

What is the process for simplifying the expression 5a + 2b - 3a + 4?

Back

Combine like terms: (5a - 3a) + 2b + 4 = 2a + 2b + 4.