document.write( "Question 578874: Please explain this to my math deficient noggin. In this example from the text book, how are the steps of simplification arrived at? Shouldn't 14x^2 be 14x^4? \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "(5x² + 7x - 2) + (9x² - 12x +13) =\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "(5x² + 9x²) + (7x - 12x) + (-2 + 13) = \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "14x² - 5x + 11\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "I don't understand at all how the first line becomes the seconds line, or the third line. Thanks very much. \n" ); document.write( "

Algebra.Com's Answer #370808 by jim_thompson5910(35256) $\"\"$ $\"About$

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In the second line, you're grouping like terms. Like terms are the terms that have the same variable and exponent, so for example, $\"5x%5E2\"$ and $\"9x%5E2\"$ are like terms because they have the common term $\"x%5E2\"$ between them. \r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "In the third line, you're combining like terms. You do this by adding/subtracting the coefficients in front of the variables. \n" ); document.write( "

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