Combining Like Terms Worksheets

How to Combine Like Terms in Polynomials - Solving polynomials is not a difficult thing to do in algebraic mathematics if you are well aware of its rules. There are certain rules that you need to keep in mind while combining like terms in polynomials. In the case of addition and subtraction, you need to take care of two things that are variables as well as exponents, while in the case of multiplication and division, you only need to see in the two terms that you are looking to multiply or divide, that there variable should be same. While multiplication or division, you don’t need to care about the exponents. In the case of addition and subtraction, you can write both the terms combined in a way that variables and exponents are written as they are while the coefficient part gets added or subtracted. On the other hand, in the case of multiplication or division, the coefficients get multiplied or divided by each other, variables are written combined as they are, and exponents are added in case of multiplication and subtracted in the case of division.

What is Combining Like Terms in Algebra?

By combining like terms in algebra, we mean that we either add, subtract, multiply or divide different similar terms with each other and write their answers in a combined single term. Let’s talk about how it's done. In the beginning, when students are during their beginner’s stage of learning algebra and its methods, tools, and techniques, they might find combining terms in algebra a bit difficult. Yes, it can be tricky at times, but with practice, it can be mastered like every other math problem. Combining like terms in algebra refers to how like terms in a polynomial are solved and simplified. It is pretty easy. You can combine like terms through any of the four basic mathematical operators. All you need is to have the basic skill of solving polynomials in each case. Like terms can be combined if their variables and exponents are the same in case of addition and subtraction and if only variables are the same in case of multiplication and division.

All the Legs!

Amy looked out the window and saw some ducks and mules. She counted 66 legs. How many of each animal did she see if there were 24 animals total? 9 mules, 15 ducks. Take 66 divided by 2 (ducks) = 33. Only 24 total, so 33-24=9 (4 legs). 24-9= 15 ducks

Bags of Chips

There is a mix of red, green and blue chips in a bag. The total number of chips is 60. There are 4 times as many red chips as green, and 6 more blue than green. How many chips of each color are there? Red = 36, blue = 15, green = 9.