Solving Equations with Algebra Tiles

Front

What are algebra tiles?

Back

Algebra tiles are physical or virtual manipulatives used to represent algebraic expressions and equations visually. They help in understanding concepts like addition, subtraction, and solving equations.

Front

How do you represent the equation x + 1 = 4 using algebra tiles?

Back

You would use one tile to represent 'x', one positive tile for '+1', and four total tiles to represent '4'.

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What does it mean to simplify an expression?

Back

Simplifying an expression means to combine like terms and reduce it to its simplest form.

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.

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What is the result of combining the like terms 3x + 2x?

Back

The result is 5x.

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What does the term 'expression' mean in algebra?

Back

An expression is a combination of numbers, variables, and operators (like +, -, *, /) that represents a value.

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What is the difference between an equation and an expression?

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An equation states that two expressions are equal, while an expression does not include an equality sign.

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How can you use algebra tiles to solve the equation x + 1 = 4?

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You can use tiles to visually represent the equation, then remove the tile representing '+1' from both sides to isolate 'x'.

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What does the term 'variable' mean?

Back

A variable is a symbol, often a letter, that represents an unknown value in mathematics.

Front

What is the value of x in the equation x + 1 = 4?

Back

The value of x is 3.