Combining Like Terms

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What are like terms?

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

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How do you combine like terms?

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To combine like terms, you add or subtract the coefficients of the terms that are alike. For example, in the expression 4a + 3a, you add the coefficients (4 + 3) to get 7a.

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What is the coefficient in the term 7x?

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The coefficient is the number in front of the variable. In 7x, the coefficient is 7.

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What happens when you combine terms that are not like terms?

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What is the first step in combining like terms?

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Identify all the like terms in the expression.

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What is the difference between a term and a coefficient?

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A term is a single mathematical expression (like 3x), while a coefficient is the numerical factor in a term (like 3 in 3x).

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What does it mean to simplify an expression?

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