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Like Terms

Description

A term is a number, variable or the product of a number and variable(s).

Here are some terms:

-2, 4x, -xy, 7x2, 100xy3, , abc, ax2, 0.5x

A constant term is a number.

A coefficient is the numeric factor of a term. A constant term is a special case of a coefficient. The coefficients of the terms below are highlighted in red:

-2, 7x2, 100xy3, 0.5x

The coefficient of    x = 1x   is 1 and the coefficient of   -x = -1x   is -1. The coefficient of is .

Two terms are called like terms if they differ by a constant factor. That is, only their numerical coefficients are different.
Constant terms are like terms.


Exercise 1.

Click on the "Show" buttons to reveal the answers for pair of terms:

Term 1 Term 2

 
2x
- x
2x2
6x2
3x
-9x2
1
2
ab
2ab
5xy
3yx
2x2y
-x2y
4xy2
x2y
4y2x
xy2

The following are like terms:

2x, 1000x, -5x, 0.65x, (2/3)x

And these are like terms:

7x2, 21769x2, 0.778x2, -41x2, (6/7)x2

But none of the following are like terms:

2x, 2x5, 2x-2, 2x0.5, 2x(4/3)

as the power of x differs in the different terms.


Exercise 1.

Got it? Good! Now try some of the following exercises. Each time you click on "Next Exercise" a new exercise will appear.

Are Term 1 and Term 2 like terms? Click "Yes" or "No":

Term 1
Term 2
Like Terms?
or




| Like Terms Index | Combining Like Terms 1 >>

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