Exercise 14 Page 73

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. 5x^2-x^2 In this case, we have two x^2-terms, so we can subtract them. 5 x^2- x^2=4 x^2

Alternative Solution

Factor out x^2

We can also show this by factoring out x^2, using the Distributive Property in reverse.

5x^2-x^2

SplitIntoFactors

Split into factors

5* x^2-1* x^2

FactorOut

Factor out x^2

(5-1)x^2

SubTerm

Subtract term

4x^2