Combining Like Terms

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.

To combine like terms, add or subtract the coefficients of the terms that are alike. For example, $$3x + 5x = (3 + 5)x = 8x$$ .

$$2y^2 + 4y$$ .

$$27s + 19d$$ .

$$11d + 2e$$ .

If terms cannot be combined, it means they are not like terms. For example, $$4f^2 + 3h - g + f$$ cannot be simplified further.

$$4b^2 + 2b$$ .

The coefficient is $$5$$ , which is the number in front of the variable.

A constant term is a term that does not contain any variables. For example, in $$3x + 5$$ , the number $$5$$ is a constant term.

The first step is to identify and group like terms together.