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When simplifying using addition and subtraction, you combine “like terms” by keeping the "like term" and adding or subtracting the numerical coefficients.
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Name ___________________________________________________ Date ______________ Simplifying and Combining Like Terms Exponent Coefficient 4 x 2 Variable (or Base)
When simplifying using addition and subtraction, you combine “like terms” by keeping the "like term" and adding or subtracting the numerical coefficients. Examples: 3 x + 4 x = 7 x 13 xy – 9 xy = 4 xy 12 x^3 y^2 - 5 x^3 y^2 = 7 x^3 y^2 Can you simplify? 4 x + 4 y 11 x^2 – 7 x 6 x^3 y + 5 xy^3 Simplify the following:
Example: 3(2x – 5) + 5(3x +6) = Since in the order of operations, multiplication comes before addition and subtraction, we must get rid of the multiplication before you can combine like terms. We do this by using the distributive property : 3(2x – 5) + 5(3x +6) = 3(2x) – 3(5) + 5(3x) + 5(6) = 6x - 15 + 15x + 30 = Now you can combine the like terms: Final answer : 6x + 15x = 21x 3(2x – 5) + 5(3x + 6) = 21x + 15
****Whatever you do on one side of the equal sign, you MUST do the same exact thing on the other side**. If you multiply by - 2 on the left side, you have to multiply by - 2 on the other. If you subtract 15 from one side, you must subtract 15 from the other. You can do whatever you want (to get the x by itself) as long as you do it on both sides of the equal sign.
To solve single step equations, you do the opposite of whatever the operation is. The opposite of addition is subtraction and the opposite of multiplication is division. Solve the following equations for x:
Solving Multi-Step Equations: 3x – 5 = 22 To get the x by itself, you will need to get rid of the 5 and the 3. +5 +5 Get rid of addition and subtraction first. Use the opposite order of PEMDAS 3x = 27 Then, we get rid of multiplication and division. 3 3 x = 9 We check the answer by putting it back in the original equation: Check: 3x – 5 = 22 We have that x = 9 3(9) - 5 = 22 27 - 5 = 22 22 = 22 (It checks!) Solve the Multi-Step Equations and check:
Equations with more than one x on the same side of the equal sign : You need to simplify (combine like terms) and then use the same steps as a multi-step equation. 9x + 11 – 5x + 10 = - 15 9x – 5x = 4x 11 + 10 = 21 1 st^ – combine like terms 4x + 21 = - 15 Now it looks like a multistep equation that we already did
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