Subtract like terms
for 6th grade
Simplify expressions by subtracting quantities of like terms such as 5x - 3x or 13x² - 5x²
Subracting like terms
When we talk about "like terms" in algebra, we are referring to terms that have the same variable(s) raised to the same power(s).
For example, 3x and 5x are like terms because they both have the same variable x raised to the same first power. Similarly, 2y² and 7y² are like terms because they both have the variable y raised to the second power. We have a topic about like and unlike terms.
To subtract like terms, you simply subtract the coefficients (the numbers in front of the variables) while keeping the variable and its exponent the same.
For example, to subtract 2y from 9y, you would subtract the coefficients to get 7, and then write the result including the variable.
9y - 2y = 7y
Similarly, to subtract 2b³ from 5b³, you would subtract the coefficients to get 3, and then write the result including the variable and the exponent.
5b³ - 2b³ = 3b³
Related topics
Below is a table showing the first 7 question answer pairs for the topic "Subtract like terms" as used in the lessons for this topic. Our games and tests for the topic use these 7 items plus 9 additional question answer pairs.
The topic "Subtract like terms" is in the category Algebra for 6th grade (ages 11 to 12).
Revise 'Subtract like terms' with one of our games for 6th grade
Each of our math topics for secondary are made up of between 6 and 20 question and answer pairs (both the written form and a robot voice speaking those questions and answers). Each topic can be used with all the activities on the site.
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