Combining Like Terms & Distributive Property

Front

What does it mean to combine like terms in an expression?

Back

Combining like terms means to simplify an expression by adding or subtracting terms that have the same variable raised to the same power.

Front

What is the distributive property?

Back

The distributive property states that a(b + c) = ab + ac, meaning you can distribute the multiplication over addition.

Front

Simplify: 3(x + 4)

Back

3x + 12

Front

Simplify: 5y + 3y

Back

8y

Front

Simplify: 2(a + 3) - 4

Back

2a + 6 - 4 = 2a + 2

Front

What is a coefficient in an algebraic expression?

Back

A coefficient is a numerical factor that multiplies a variable, such as 4 in 4x.

Front

Simplify: 7(x - 2) + 3

Back

7x - 14 + 3 = 7x - 11

Front

What are like terms?

Back

Like terms are terms that have the same variable raised to the same power, such as 2x and 5x.

Front

Simplify: 4x + 2x - 3

Back

6x - 3

Front

What is the first step in using the distributive property?

Back

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