Vocabulary 1
The number in front of a variable in a term
A coefficient
Read the expression in two different ways.
2x + 10
Possible answers:
2 times x plus 10
The sum of 2 times x and 10
How many terms does this expression have?
3x - 7y + 10 - 1/2
It has 4 terms.
Solve for x. Explain your solution.
x - 7 = 21
To solve for x, I add 7 to both sides of the equation. The solution is x equals 28.
A letter that represents an unknown value
A variable
A math phrase that includes numbers, letters and operations signs but no equal sign
An expression
Read the expression in two different ways.
8y - 5
Possible answers:
8 times y minus five
The difference between 8 times y and 5
What are the coefficients in this term?
8y - 4x + 15 + 2y
The coefficients are 8, -4, 2.
Solve for y. Explain your solution.
y + 12 = 39
To solve for y, I subtract 12 from both sides of the equation. The solution is y equals 27.
A mathematical phrase that shows that two expressions are equal.
An equation
What is the inverse of multiplication?
Division
Simplify the expression and explain the steps.
10x - 3x + 12 - 4
To simplify this expression, I combine the like terms.
The simplified expression is 7x + 8.
What are the constants in this term?
5 + 2a - 4b + 2/3
The constants are 5 and 2/3.
Solve for x. Explain your solution.
3x=24
To solve for x, I divide both sides by 3. The solution is x equals 8.
Operations that undo / reverse each other
Inverse operations
Getting a variable alone on one side of the equation.
Isolate
Simplify the expression and explain the steps.
3(4x+7)
To simplify this expression, I use the distributive property. I multiply 3 by the terms inside the parentheses. The simplified expression is 12x+21.
Write an expression with 3 terms. The first term should be a constant. The last term should have a coefficient of 4.
Example: 7 - 2x + 6y
Solve for m. Explain your solution.
4m + 8 = 68
To solve for m, first, I subtract 8 from both sides. The result is 4m = 60. Then, I divide both sides by 4. The solution is m equals 15.
The answer to the problem
The solution
The terms that have the same variable to the same degree.
Like terms
Simplify the expression and explain the steps.
2(y+15)+4y-16
To simplify, first I multiply 2 by the terms inside the parentheses. Then, I combine the like terms. The simplified expression is 6y+14.
Write an expression with 4 terms. The first term should have a negative coefficient. The second term should be a constant. The third term should have y as a variable and a coefficient of 9.
Example : -2x + 13 + 9y - 10
Solve for x. Explain your solution.
2/5x - 6 = 14
To solve for x, first, I add 6 to both sides. The result is 2/5x = 20. Then, I multiply both sides by 5 and I get 2x=100. Finally, I divide both sides by 2. The solution is x equals 50.
A part of an expression that is separated by + or -
A term