Collecting Like Termng — Foundational Algebraic Concepts + 4 more topics

Algebra is built on expressions and equations. An expression is a combination of numbers, variables, and operation signs (like 2x + 5). An equation sets two expressions equal to each other (like 2x + 5 = 11). Your main goal in algebra is often to "solve" an equation, meaning finding the value of the variable that makes the equation true.

A variable is a symbol, typically a letter (like x, y, a), that represents an unknown number. It's a placeholder.

When you're dealing with algebraic expressions, "terms" are the individual pieces separated by addition or subtraction signs. A "like term" is a term that has the exact same variable part, including the variable letters and their exponents. The number in front (the coefficient) can be different.