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Combining Like Terms in Polynomial Expressions

A student can identify like terms — terms whose variable part is identical, the same base raised to the same exponent — and add or subtract them by combining only their coefficients. They can leave unlike terms unchanged rather than forcing them together, and can distribute a leading negative sign across a grouping before combining. The result is a polynomial written with one term per distinct variable part.

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Combining Like Terms to Simplify Algebraic Expressions

Like terms are terms in an algebraic expression that share identical variables raised to identical powers (a variable with no written exponent is understood to be raised to the first power, and a var…