The first step in simplifying this expression is to identify which, if any, terms can be combined. Remember, only like terms — constant terms or terms with the same variable — can be combined.
8x - 5 + 2x
In this case, we have two x-terms and one constant. Only the x-terms can be combined, so to simplify the expression we will rearrange it according to the Commutative Property of Addition and then combine like terms. Then, we can use the Distributive Property.
