Combining Like Terms

Front

What does it mean to combine like terms?

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 are like terms?

Back

Like terms are terms that have the same variable and exponent. For example, 3x and 5x are like terms, while 3x and 3y are not.

Front

What is a constant in an expression?

Back

A constant is a term that does not contain any variables. For example, in the expression 4a + 9, the number 9 is a constant.

Front

Simplify: a + a + a + a

Back

4a

Front

Simplify: 12a - 5a

Back

7a

Front

Identify the constants in the expression: 4a + 9 - a + 3 + 2a

Back

9, 3

Front

Rewrite the expression by combining like terms: 4x² - 2x² + 2y - y + 5x

Back

2x² + 5x + y

Front

Simplify: 7 - 8c + 3 - 6c

Back

10 - 14c

Front

What is the coefficient in the term 5x?

Back

The coefficient is 5, which is the number multiplying the variable x.

Front

What happens when you combine a term with a positive coefficient and a term with a negative coefficient?

Back

You subtract the absolute values of the coefficients and keep the sign of the term with the larger absolute value.