Question

Lauren and Kiarra are discussing homework. Lauren is worried that her solution is not correct and asks Kiarra to look over it for her. Kiarra notices a mistake in Lauren’s work and wants to help her friend.

Describe the mistake that Lauren made in her work. How could Kiarra explain to Lauren how to fix her work? Combine the like terms to simplify the expression:
Lauren’s Work:
Expression: 3x - 2x + 4x² - 3x² - 5 x + 7x² - 5 8x - 5

Answer 1

Lauren made a mistake by not combining like terms correctly in her expression. Kiarra should help Lauren group the terms with the same variable together and then combine them.

Step-by-step explanation:

Lauren made a mistake by not combining like terms correctly in her expression. To fix her work, Kiarra should help Lauren group the terms with the same variable together and then combine them. Here's how:

3x - 2x + 4x² - 3x² - 5x + 7x² - 58x - 5

First, group the terms with x together:

(3x - 2x - 5x) + (4x² - 3x² + 7x²) - 58x - 5

Simplify each group:

x + 8x² - 58x - 5

Now combine the like terms:

(1 - 58)x + 8x² - 5

Finally, simplify further:

-57x + 8x² - 5

Adding like terms is a fundamental concept in algebra. Coefficients are the numbers in front of variables, and they can be added when the variables are the same. For example, 2x + 3x equals 5x. When dealing with different variables, such as x and y, add them separately, resulting in expressions like 5x + 9y.