Question

If you combine like-terms, what will the coefficients be? 2ab - 4a + 5b + 6ab.

A. 2, -4, 5, 6
B. ab, a, b
C. 2ab - 4a + 5b + 6ab
D. 2ab, -4a, 5b, 6ab.

Answer 1

The expression 2ab - 4a + 5b + 6ab can be simplified by combining like terms. By adding the coefficients of like terms, the simplified expression will be 8ab - 4a + 5b. Coefficients of non-like terms remain the same.

Step-by-step explanation:

In mathematics, specifically in algebra, combining like terms is a method used to simplify expressions. When you see terms with the same variable and exponent, you can combine them by adding or subtracting the coefficients. The expression given in the question has two like terms, 2ab and 6ab.

To combine these like terms, you add their coefficients together while keeping the variable part unchanged. So for 2ab and 6ab, you add 2 and 6 to get a new coefficient of 8 for the term ab. The terms -4a and 5b do not have like terms, so their coefficients remain unchanged.

Therefore, when you simplify the expression by combining like terms, 2ab - 4a + 5b + 6ab, you get 8ab - 4a + 5b. It is always important to check if the simplified expression is reasonable in context.