Expressions: Combine Like Terms, Distribute, and Factor

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, while 3x and 4y are not.

Front

How do you combine like terms?

Back

To combine like terms, add or subtract the coefficients of the terms that are alike. For example, -7w + (-9w) = -16w.

Front

What does it mean to distribute in algebra?

Back

Distributing means multiplying a term by each term inside a set of parentheses. For example, 3(2 + 4) = 3*2 + 3*4 = 6 + 12 = 18.

Front

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 multiple terms inside parentheses.

Front

How do you factor an expression?

Back

Factoring an expression involves rewriting it as a product of its factors. For example, 5x + 15 can be factored as 5(x + 3).

Front

What is the greatest common factor (GCF)?

Back

The GCF is the largest factor that two or more numbers share. For example, the GCF of 8 and 12 is 4.

Front

How do you find the GCF of two terms?

Back

To find the GCF of two terms, identify the common factors and choose the largest one. For example, the GCF of 4x and 8y is 4.

Front

What is the result of distributing -4 to (k - 7)?

Back

The result is -4k + 28.

Front

What is the result of distributing 9 to (2g + 3)?

Back

The result is 18g + 27.

Front

What does it mean to simplify an expression?

Back

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