Combining Like Terms
Two or more terms
are alike if they have the same variables and the exponents (or roots) on those
variables are the same: 3x2y and 5x2y are like terms but
6xy and 4xy2 are not. Constants are terms with no variables. The
number in front of the variable(s) is the coefficient—in 4x2y3,
4 is the coefficient. If no number appears in front of the variable, then the
coefficient is 1. Add or subtract like terms by adding or subtracting their coefficients.
Alfi Blog
Februari 06, 2026
Admin
Bandung Indonesia
Combining Like Terms
Two or more terms
are alike if they have the same variables and the exponents (or roots) on those
variables are the same: 3x2y and 5x2y are like terms but
6xy and 4xy2 are not. Constants are terms with no variables. The
number in front of the variable(s) is the coefficient—in 4x2y3,
4 is the coefficient. If no number appears in front of the variable, then the
coefficient is 1. Add or subtract like terms by adding or subtracting their coefficients.
Distributing
negative quantities has the same effect on signs as distributing a minus sign: every sign in the parentheses changes.
Alfi Blog
Februari 05, 2026
Admin
Bandung Indonesia
Distributing
negative quantities has the same effect on signs as distributing a minus sign: every sign in the parentheses changes.
Sometimes you will need to ‘‘distribute’’ a minus sign or
negative sign: 
. You can use the distributive properties
and think of 
:
Alfi Blog
Februari 04, 2026
Admin
Bandung Indonesia
Sometimes you will need to ‘‘distribute’’ a minus sign or
negative sign: . You can use the distributive properties
and think of :
Distributing Multiplication over Addition and Subtraction
Distributing multiplication
over addition (and subtraction) and factoring (the opposite of distributing)
are extremely important in algebra. The distributive law of multiplication over
addition, a(b + c) = ab + ac, says that you can first take the sum (b + c) then
the product (a times the sum of b and c) or the individual products (ab and ac)
then the sum (the sum of ab and ac). For instance, 12(6 + 4) could be computed
as 12(6 + 4) = 12(6) + 12(4) = 72 + 48 = 120 or as 12(6 + 4) = 12(10) = 120.
The distributive law of multiplication over subtraction, a(b – c) = ab – cd,
says the same about a product and difference.
Alfi Blog
Februari 03, 2026
Admin
Bandung Indonesia
Distributing Multiplication over Addition and Subtraction
Distributing multiplication
over addition (and subtraction) and factoring (the opposite of distributing)
are extremely important in algebra. The distributive law of multiplication over
addition, a(b + c) = ab + ac, says that you can first take the sum (b + c) then
the product (a times the sum of b and c) or the individual products (ab and ac)
then the sum (the sum of ab and ac). For instance, 12(6 + 4) could be computed
as 12(6 + 4) = 12(6) + 12(4) = 72 + 48 = 120 or as 12(6 + 4) = 12(10) = 120.
The distributive law of multiplication over subtraction, a(b – c) = ab – cd,
says the same about a product and difference.
One of the
uses of these exponent-root properties is to simplify multiple roots. Using the
properties 
, gradually rewrite the multiple
roots as an exponent then as a single root.
Alfi Blog
Februari 02, 2026
Admin
Bandung Indonesia
One of the
uses of these exponent-root properties is to simplify multiple roots. Using the
properties , gradually rewrite the multiple
roots as an exponent then as a single root.
. You can use the distributive properties
and think of 
:
, gradually rewrite the multiple
roots as an exponent then as a single root.