Math basics › Algebra basics
Combining like terms
Like means the same letters to the same powers
3x and 5x combine to 8x. 3x and 5x² do not combine at all. 3x and 5y do not either.
Keep the sign with the term
In 4x − 7x, the term is −7x. Moving a term without its sign is the most common slip in all of algebra.