Distributing, Factoring, and Combining Like Terms

Front

What are like terms?

Back

Like terms are terms that have the same variable(s) raised to the same power. For example, 3x and 5x are like terms.

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How do you combine like terms?

Back

To combine like terms, add or subtract their coefficients while keeping the variable part the same. For example, 3x + 5x = 8x.

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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 each term inside a parenthesis.

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How do you factor an expression?

Back

Factoring an expression involves rewriting it as a product of its factors. For example, x^2 + 5x can be factored as x(x + 5).

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What does it mean to simplify an expression?

Back

Simplifying an expression means to combine like terms and perform any operations to make it as simple as possible.

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What is a coefficient?

Back

A coefficient is a numerical factor in a term. For example, in 4x, 4 is the coefficient.

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What is a variable?

Back

A variable is a symbol, often a letter, that represents a number in an expression or equation. For example, x and y are variables.

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What is the difference between an expression and an equation?

Back

An expression is a combination of numbers, variables, and operations without an equality sign, while an equation states that two expressions are equal.

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How do you identify the degree of a polynomial?

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The degree of a polynomial is the highest power of the variable in the expression. For example, in 4x^3 + 2x^2, the degree is 3.

Front

What is the purpose of parentheses in math?

Back

Parentheses indicate which operations should be performed first in an expression. For example, in 2(3 + 4), you calculate 3 + 4 first.