Combining Like Terms S W B A T

Combining Like Terms

S. W. B. A. T Combine like terms and solve algebraic expressions

Combining like terms A process used to simplify an expression or an equation using addition and subtraction of the coefficients of terms. Consider the expression below 5 + 7 By adding 5 and 7, you can easily find the expression is equivalent to 12

What does combining like terms do? Algebraic expressions can be simplified by combining like terms Consider the algebraic expression below 12 x + 7 + 5 x 12 x and 5 x are like terms. Therefore the coefficients, 12 and 5 can be added. 17 x +7

What are like terms? The following are like terms because each term consists of a single variable, x, and a numeric coefficient 2 x, 45 x, x, -26 x, -x Each of the following like terms because they are all constants 15, -2, 27, 9043

Examples of unlike terms The following two terms both have a single variable with an exponent of 1, but the terms are not alike since different variables are used. 17 x, 17 z

Examples of unlike terms Each y variable in the terms below has a different exponent, therefore these are unlike terms

Examples of unlike terms Although both terms below have an x variable, only one terms has the y variable, thus these are not like terms either 19 x, 14 xy

Combining like terms Consider Identify the expression below sets of like terms 2 and 7 are both constants The terms are like terms because they consist of an x squared

The coefficients of the first set are constants themselves, 2 and 7. When added the result is 9 The coefficients of the second set of like terms are 5, -2, and 1. Therefore, when added the result is 4

With the like terms combined, the expression becomes