Distributing and Combining Like Terms

Front

What is the distributive property?

Back

The distributive property states that a(b + c) = ab + ac. It allows you to multiply a single term by two or more terms inside a set of parentheses.

Front

Simplify: 2(4 + 9w)

Back

8 + 18w

Front

What are like terms?

Back

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.

Front

Simplify: -10x + 15 - 3x + 2

Back

-13x + 17

Front

What does it mean to combine like terms?

Back

Combining like terms means to add or subtract coefficients of terms that have the same variable. For example, 3x + 5x = 8x.

Front

Simplify: -6x + 4(x - 3)

Back

-2x - 12

Front

What is the first step in simplifying an expression using the distributive property?

Back

The first step is to distribute the term outside the parentheses to each term inside the parentheses.

Front

Simplify: x + 4 - 7(x - 5)

Back

-6x + 39

Front

What is the result of applying the distributive property to 4(x - 5)?

Back

4x - 20

Front

What is a coefficient in an algebraic expression?

Back

A coefficient is a numerical factor that multiplies a variable. For example, in 5x, 5 is the coefficient.