Question

Error Analysis On a math test a student, Sarah, has to identify all the coefficients and constants of the expression 2 + 7m + n. Sarah says that 7 is a coefficient and 2 is a constant. Identify all the coefficients and constants of the expression. What error might Sarah have made?

Answer 1

In the expression 2 + 7m + n, the coefficients are 7 and 1, while the constants are 2 and 0 (since n has no variable). Sarah's error was considering 2 as a constant when it is actually a coefficient.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the expression 2 + 7m + n, the number 7 is indeed a coefficient because it is multiplied by the variable m. However, the number 2 is not a constant; instead, it is called a coefficient without a variable. In this case, we can say that 2 is a constant term. Therefore, the coefficients in the expression are 7 and 1 (since n can be seen as 1n). The constants are 2 and 0 (since there is no variable multiplying n).

The error that Sarah might have made is considering the number 2 as a constant, when in fact it is a coefficient. It is important to differentiate between coefficients (which are multiplied by variables) and constants (which are standalone numbers).