Like Terms 7 th Grade Mrs. Osthus

Introduction You are planning to go to the movies tonight with your friends, but your parents won’t give you any more money this week. Where could you look (no piggy banks) for some money for the movie? Search your house, of course!

Money found Under the couch cushion In the laundry room In the vehicleFrom your lil’ brother/sister 1 dollar bill 4 quarters 2 dimes 27 pennies 2 dollars 7 quarters 3 dimes 9 nickels 14 pennies 5 quarters 6 nickels 11 pennies 5 quarters 3 dimes 56 pennies Now, you need to count the change. What would you do before you started counting it? __________________________

Like terms You probably would have sorted, or combined your change into dimes, nickels, quarters, and dollars before you started counting the change. Just like combining like coins, you can combine math terms that are similar. It will make a more difficult and longer problem shorter and simpler.

Like terms One part of a mathematical expression or equation is called a ________________. Terms that have equivalent variable parts are called ______________. (example: 4x and -5x) Terms with variable parts that are not equivalent are called ________________.(example: -4x 2, 5x, -1).

Like or unlike terms? Like/unlike? 2x 3x -5x -6a 3 a 3 32a x 2 y 4 x 2 y 4 -16x 2 y 4 3x x 2 -4x Go to note sheet 18

Identify like terms in each set 7x, 2x 2, 3x, 5, -14m, 3n, -1, -6m, 16 3w 2, -5m, 2m 2, -4w 2, 1 21, w, 4h, h 2

Combine like terms and write in simplest form 8x + 2x p – p t + 6t – 9t 3.2n (-1.9n) – 8 18y + 6z – 15y – 3z 5c – d + (-8c) - d

By combining like terms, you are changing a long/challenging problem into a shorter/simpler problem.