Combining Like Terms

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Combining Like Terms

• Foundations of Algebra

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What are like terms?

• Like terms are two algebraic expressions that
  have the exact same variables and exponents (or
  NO variables or exponents)
• For example,
• 2 7 or 2x 7x or 2xy 7xy

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Different types of variables are unlike terms.
4x
8x2
unlike
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Different types of variables are unlike terms.
2xy
- x2y
1
unlike
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These are like terms even though they contain
both an x and a y.
3xy
-9xy
LIKE
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These are also like terms.
xy
1
1
yx
LIKE
We write variables in alphabetical order.
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Even if we put numbers in front (coefficients) of
each variable, they are still like terms.
xy
yx
LIKE
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-3
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Suppose we have
It could also be
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Or
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