what are like terms and why are they used because i need to write a page of notes and i am only give a few sentences?
like terms are terms that look the same.
ex: 2x+3-2=12
the +3 and the -2 are like terms so you can combine them together.
2x-1=12
it would actually be 2x+1 not 2x-1 because +3-2 is equal to +1.
and yes you can combine them together.
Like terms are terms in an algebraic expression that have the same variable(s) raised to the same power(s). For example, in the expression 3x + 2y - 4x + 5y, the terms 3x and -4x are like terms because they have the same variable 'x'. Similarly, the terms 2y and 5y are like terms because they have the same variable 'y'.
Like terms are used in algebraic expressions to simplify and combine similar terms together. By combining like terms, we can make the expression simpler and easier to work with. This is particularly helpful when performing operations such as adding, subtracting, or simplifying expressions.