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Mike McGarry
Lesson by Mike McGarry
Magoosh Expert
Quiz
Algebra, Equations, and Inequalities
Summary
The essence of simplifying algebraic expressions hinges on understanding and applying the fundamental principles of combining like terms and manipulating parentheses.
  • Combining like terms involves adding or subtracting coefficients of terms with the same variable parts.
  • The distributive law allows for the simplification of expressions by grouping like terms, which are terms that share the same variables and powers.
  • Multiplication is commutative, meaning the order of factors does not affect the product, which is crucial in identifying like terms that may appear differently.
  • When simplifying expressions involving parentheses, if there is an addition sign before the parentheses, they can be removed without altering the terms inside.
  • For expressions with a subtraction sign before the parentheses, each term inside must have its sign changed to its opposite upon the removal of the parentheses.
Chapters
00:02
Understanding Like Terms
00:43
The Distributive Law and Simplification
02:46
Commutativity in Multiplication
04:18
Simplifying Expressions Involving Parentheses