Question

Simplify the expression 3.2 + (b + 5.7) Explain each step.

Answer 1

b +8.9

Explanation:

You want to simplify 3.2 + (b + 5.7) with an explanation of each step.

Simplification

Simplification generally means eliminating parentheses and combining like terms. The final expression can be written in standard form, meaning the terms are in order of decreasing exponent of the variable.

Steps

1. eliminate the unneeded parentheses: 3.2 +b +5.7
2. swap the first two terms: (commutative property of addition) b +3.2 +5.7
3. perform the addition of the constants: b +8.9

The simplified expression is b +8.9.