10.

3 Adding and Subtracting

Algebraic Expressions
10.3 OBJECTIVES
1. Identify like terms
2. Combine like terms

To find the perimeter of (or the distance around) a rectangle, we add 2 times the length and
2 times the width. In the language of algebra, this can be written as
L

W W Perimeter  2L  2W

We call 2L  2W an algebraic expression, or more simply an expression. Recall from

Section 10.1 that an expression allows us to write a mathematical idea in symbols. It can be
thought of as a meaningful collection of letters, numbers, and operation signs.
Some expressions are
1. 5x2
2. 3a  2b
3. 4x3  2y  1
4. 3(x2  y2)

In algebraic expressions, the addition and subtraction signs break the expressions into
smaller parts called terms.

Definitions: Term
A term is a number, or the product of a number and one or more variables,
raised to a power.

In an expression, each sign ( or ) is a part of the term that follows the sign.

Example 1
Identifying Terms

(a) 5x2 has one term.

(b) 3a  2b has two terms: 3a and 2b.


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Term Term
NOTE Notice that each term (c) 4x  2y  1 has three terms: 4x3, 2y, and 1.
3




“owns” the sign that precedes it. Term Term Term

CHECK YOURSELF 1
List the terms of each expression.

(a) 2b4 (b) 5m  3n (c) 2s2  3t  6

735
736 CHAPTER 10 AN INTRODUCTION TO ALGEBRA

Note that a term in an expression may have any number of factors. For instance, 5xy is a
term. It has factors of 5, x, and y. The number factor of a term is called the numerical
coefficient. So for the term 5xy, the numerical coefficient is 5.

Example 2
Identifying the Numerical Coefficient

(a) 4a has the numerical coefficient 4.

(b) 6a3b4c2 has the numerical coefficient 6.
(c) 7m2n3 has the numerical coefficient 7.
(d) Because 1  x  x, the numerical coefficient of x is understood to be 1.

CHECK YOURSELF 2
Give the numerical coefficient for each of the following terms.

(a) 8a2b (b) 5m3n4 (c) y

If terms contain exactly the same letters (or variables) raised to the same powers, they
are called like terms.

Example 3
Identifying Like Terms

(a) The following are like terms.

6a and 7a
Each pair of terms has the same letters, with each letter
5b2 and b2 raised to the same power—the numerical coefficients
can be any number.
10x2y3z and 6x2y3z
3m2 and m2
(b) The following are not like terms.
Different letters

6a and 7b
Different exponents

5b2 and b3
Different exponents
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3x2y and 4xy2

CHECK YOURSELF 3
Circle the like terms.

5a2b ab2 a2b 3a2 4ab 3b2 7a2b


NOTE Here we use the
distributive property from
Section 1.5.
NOTE You don’t have to write
all this out—just do it mentally!
NOTE Remember that when
any factor is multiplied by 0,
the product is 0.
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NOTE The distributive property
can be used over any number of
like terms.
ADDING AND SUBTRACTING ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS SECTION 10.3 737
Like terms of an expression can always be combined into a single term. Look at the
following:
2x  5x  7x



xxxxxxx xxxxxxx
Rather than having to write out all those x’s, try
2x  5x  (2  5)x  7x
In the same way,
9b  6b  (9  6)b  15b
and 10a  (4a)  (10  4)a  6a
This leads us to the following rule.
Step by Step: Combining Like Terms
To combine like terms, use the following steps.
Step 1 Add or subtract the numerical coefficients.
Step 2 Attach the common variables.
Example 4
Combining Like Terms
Combine like terms.
(a) 8m  5m  (8  5)m  13m
(b) 5pq3  4pq3  1pq3  pq3
(c) 7a3b2  7a3b2  0a3b2  0
CHECK YOURSELF 4
Combine like terms.
(a) 6b  8b (b) 12x2  3x2
(c) 8xy3  7xy3 (d) 9a2b4  9a2b4
Let’s look at some expressions involving more than two terms. The idea is just the same.
Example 5
Combining Like Terms
Combine like terms.
(a) 4xy  (xy)  2xy
 (4  (1)  2)xy
 5xy
738 CHAPTER 10 AN INTRODUCTION TO ALGEBRA

Only like terms can be combined.


(b) 8x  (2x)  5y
 6x  5y

Like terms Like terms

(c) 5m  8n  4m  (3n) Here we have used the associative

NOTE With practice you won’t
be writing out these steps, but  (5m  4m)  (8n  (3n)) and commutative properties.
doing them mentally.
 9m  5n

(d) 4x2  2x  (3x2)  x

 (4x2  (3x2))  (2x  x)
 x2  3x

As these examples illustrate, combining like terms often means changing the grouping
and the order in which the terms are written. Again all this is possible because of the prop-
erties of addition that we introduced in Section 1.2.

CHECK YOURSELF 5
Combine like terms.

(a) 4m2  3m2  8m2 (b) 9ab  3a  5ab (c) 4p  7q  5p  3q

CHECK YOURSELF ANSWERS

1. (a) 2b4; (b) 5m, 3n; (c) 2s2, 3t, 6 2. (a) 8; (b) 5; (c) 1
3. The like terms are 5a2b, a2b, and 7a2b 4. (a) 14b; (b) 9x2; (c) xy3; (d) 0
5. (a) 9m2; (b) 4ab  3a; (c) 9p  4q

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 Name

10.3 Exercises Section Date

List the terms of the following expressions.

ANSWERS
1. 5a  2 2. 7a  (4b)

1.
3 2
3. 4x 4. 3x
2.

5. 3x2  3x  (7) 6. 2a3  (a2)  a 3.

4.
Circle the like terms in the following groups of terms.
5.

7. 5ab, 3b, 3a, 4ab 8. 9m2, 8mn, 5m2, 7m 6.

7.
9. 4xy2, 2x2y, 5x2, 3x2y, 5y, 6x2y 10. 8a2b, 4a2, 3ab2, 5a2b, 3ab, 5a2b
8.

Combine the like terms. 9.

10.
11. 3m  7m 12. 6a2  8a2
11. 12.

13. 7b3  10b3 14. 7rs  13rs 13. 14.

15. 16.
15. 21xyz  7xyz 16. 4mn2  15mn2
17. 18.

17. 9z2  (3z 2) 18. 7m  (6m)

19. 20.

21. 22.
19. 5a3  (5a3) 20. 13xy  (9xy)

23. 24.
21. 19n  (18n )
2 2
22. 7cd  (7cd)
25. 26.

23. 21p2q  (6p2q) 24. 17r 3s2  (8r 3s2) 27.

28.
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25. 10x  (7x )  3x

2 2 2
26. 13uv  5uv  (12uv)
29.

27. 9a  (7a)  4b 28. 5m2  (3m)  6m2 30.

31.
29. 7x  5y  (4x)  (4y) 30. 6a  11a  7a  (9a)
2 2

32.

31. 4a  7b  3  (2a)  3b  (2) 32. 5p2  2p  8  4p2  5p  (6)

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ANSWERS

33.
2 4 1 4
33. m3 m 34. a  (2)  a
34. 3 3 5 5

35.

 
13 3 17 7
35. x2  x 5 36. y  7  y  (3)
36. 5 5 12 12

37.
37. 2.3a  7  4.7a  3 38. 5.8m  4  (2.8m)  11
38.

39. Perform the indicated operations.

40. 39. The sum of 5a4 and 8a4 is

41.
40. The sum of 9p2 and 12p2 is
42.

43.
41. Subtract 12a3 from 15a3.
44.

45. 42. Subtract 5m3 from 18m3.

46.

47. 43. Subtract 4x from the sum of 8x and 3x.

48.
44. Subtract 8ab from the sum of 7ab and 5ab.
49.

50.
45. Subtract 3mn2 from the sum of 9mn2 and 5mn2.
51.

52. 46. Subtract 4x2y from the sum of 6x2y and 12x2y.

Use the distributive property to remove the parentheses in each expression. Then simplify
by combining like terms. © 2001 McGraw-Hill Companies

47. 2(3x  2)  4 48. 3(4z  5)  9

49. 5(6a  2)  12a 50. 7(4w  3)  25w

51. 4s  2(s  4)  4 52. 5p  4(p  3)  8

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 ANSWERS

53.
Evaluate each of the following expressions if a  2, b  3, and c  5. Be sure to combine
terms when possible as the first step. 54.

55.

56.
53. 7a2  3a 54. 11b2  9b
57.

58.
55. 3c2  5c2 56. 9b3  5b3

59.

57. 5b  3a  2b 58. 7c  2b  3c 60.

61.
59. 5ac2  2ac2 60. 5a3b  2a3b
62.

63.
Using your calculator, evaluate each of the following for the given values of the variables.
Round your answer to the nearest tenth. 64.

65.
61. 7x2  5y3 for x  7.1695 and y  3.128

66.
62. 2x2  3y  5x for x  3.61 and y  7.91

67.
63. 4x2y  2xy2  5x3y for x  1.29 and y  2.56

68.
64. 3x3y  4xy  2x2y2 for x  3.26 and y  1.68

65. Write a paragraph explaining the difference between n2 and 2n.

66. Complete the explanation: “x3 and 3x are not the same because . . . . ”
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67. Complete the statement: “x  2 and 2x are different because . . . . ”

68. Write an English phrase for each algebraic expression below:

(a) 2x3  5x (b) (2x  5)3 (c) 6(n  4)2

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ANSWERS

69. 69. Work with another student to complete this exercise. Place , , or  in the blank in
these statements.

70.
12______21 What happens as the table of numbers is extended? Try more examples.

23______32 What sign seems to occur the most in your table? , , or ?

Write an algebraic statement for the pattern of numbers in this table.

34______43 Do you think this is a pattern that continues? Add more lines to the
table and extend the pattern to the general case by writing the pattern
45______54 in algebraic notation. Write a short paragraph stating your conjecture.

70. Work with other students on this exercise.

n2  1 n2  1
Part 1: Evaluate the three expressions , n, using odd values of n: 1, 3,
2 2
5, 7, etc. Make a chart like the one below and complete it.

n2  1 n2  1
n a bn c a2 b2 c2
2 2
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15

Part 2: The numbers, a, b, and c that you get in each row have a surprising
relationship to each other. Complete the last three columns and work together to
discover this relationship. You may want to find out more about the history of this
famous number pattern.

Answers
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1. 5a, 2 3. 4x3 5. 3x2, 3x, 7 7. 5ab, 4ab 9. 2x2y, 3x2y, 6x2y

3 2
11. 10m 13. 17b 15. 28xyz 17. 6z 19. 0 21. n2
23. 15p q2
25. 6x 2
27. 2a  4b 29. 3x  y 31. 2a  10b  1
33. 2m  3 35. 2x  7 37. 7a  10 39. 13a4 41. 3a3
43. 7x 45. 11mn 2
47. 6x  8 49. 42a  10 51. 6s  12
53. 34 55. 200 57. 15 59. 150 61. 206.8 63. 260.6
65. 67. 69.

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