Combining Like Terms Worksheets
Free printable combining like terms worksheets. Simplify 4x + 7 - x + 2 to 3x + 9, with an answer key. Four terms in every question.
Each question is an expression with four terms, two with x and two without: 4x + 7 - x + 2 = ______. Collect the x terms (4x - x is 3x) and the numbers (7 + 2 is 9), and the answer is 3x + 9.
The terms come in a shuffled order, so like terms are not always next to each other. Every answer has a term in x and a number, and no number in a question or its answer is larger than 12.
What this worksheet covers
- Identify like terms in an expression
- Combine like terms to write an expression in simplest form
Common Core standards
- 6.EE.A.3 Apply the properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions.
- 7.EE.A.1 Apply properties of operations as strategies to add, subtract, factor and expand linear expressions.
Frequently asked questions
What are like terms?
Terms with the same variable part. 4x and x are like terms, and so are 7 and 2. 4x and 7 are not, which is why 4x + 7 cannot be made any shorter.
What happens to the minus signs?
Each one stays with the term after it. In 4x + 7 - x + 2 it is the x that is taken away, so the x terms come to 4x - x = 3x. Terms can be moved around freely as long as each keeps its own sign.
Does the order of the answer matter?
No. 9 + 3x is the same as 3x + 9. The key writes the x term first and the number second, so it is quick to check against, but a student who writes them the other way round has it right.
What grade is this?
Sixth grade, as part of writing equivalent expressions, and seventh, where students add and subtract whole expressions. Negative numbers under Advanced options adds questions that start with a negative term, like -4x + 7 + x - 2.