Understanding Like Terms in Mathematics | Definition, Examples, and Importance

like terms

In mathematics, “like terms” refer to terms that have the same variables raised to the same power

In mathematics, “like terms” refer to terms that have the same variables raised to the same power. Like terms can be added or subtracted from each other because they follow the same pattern.

For example, consider the following expressions:
3x + 4x
2y – 5y
7z² – 2z²

In the first expression, 3x and 4x are like terms because they both have the variable x raised to the first power. We can combine them to get 7x.

In the second expression, 2y and -5y are like terms because they both have the variable y raised to the first power. We can combine them to get -3y.

In the third expression, 7z² and -2z² are like terms because they both have the variable z raised to the power of 2. We can combine them to get 5z².

It is important to note that the coefficient in front of the variable (the number multiplying the variable) does not have to be the same for terms to be considered like terms. The only requirement is that the variables and their exponents match.

Having like terms allows us to simplify algebraic expressions by combining them and reducing redundancy.

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