Final answer:
The student made a mistake by not considering the brackets which change the number of terms in the initial expression 9p - (6-89). After simplification, the expression has two terms: 9p and 83. Remember, simplifying algebra involves combining like terms and considering parentheses.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's error lies in not recognizing the brackets and simplifying the expression correctly. The expression 9p - (6-89) initially appears to have two terms; however, the brackets need to be taken into account. When simplified, the expression inside the brackets becomes -83 because 6 - 89 equals -83. So, the correct expression after removing the brackets is 9p + 83, which means there are actually two terms in the simplified expression: 9p and 83. To simplify the algebra, we should always look to combine like terms and remove braces where necessary.
When working with expressions and identifying terms, it's crucial to perform operations inside the parentheses first before determining the number of terms. Terms in an algebraic expression are separated by plus (+) or minus (-) signs. In the context of scientific notation, understanding how to work with exponents is crucial as well, such as moving the decimal for 1.6 × 10² to get 160 and moving it to the left for 2.4 x 10⁻² to get 0.024.