
- Properties of Real Numbers
- Home
- Identifying Like Terms
- Combining like terms: Whole number coefficients
- Introduction to properties of addition
- Multiplying a constant and a linear monomial
- Distributive property: Whole Number coefficients
- Factoring a linear binomial
- Identifying parts in an algebraic expression
- Identifying equivalent algebraic expressions
- Introduction to properties of multiplication
Identifying parts in an algebraic expression
Definition
An algebraic expression had different parts like, constants, terms, like terms, coefficients, and so on.
In this lesson, given an algebraic expression, we identify different parts as required.
For example, consider the following algebraic expression
6 + 4a + 9a + 10b
- 4a and 9a are like terms
- 6 is a constant
- 9 is a coefficient of term 9a
- 10b is a term
- 9a, 10b is a pair of unlike terms
Example 1
Identify the coefficient of p2 in the expression:
9q + 8p 15p2 11r
Solution
Step 1:
The numeric part of a term is generally called the coefficient.
Step 2:
The term containing p2 is 15p2.
So, the coefficient of p2 in the term is 15.
Example 2
Identify the like terms in the expression:
21x 13y 8x + 5y
Solution
Step 1:
The following are like terms because each term consists of variables, x, and a numeric coefficient.
21x, 8x
Step 2:
The following are like terms because each term consists of variables, y, and a numeric coefficient.
5y, 13y
Example 3
Identify the constant term in the expression:
10x + 51y + 18z + 69
Solution
Step 1:
In an algebraic expression, the term with no variables is called the constant.
Step 2:
In given expression, the constant is obviously 69.