You can’t add or subtract variables that are different – for example, 

. Find out why this is, and learn what to do when you encounter these, in this video.

How Do You Add and Subtract Unlike Terms?

A symbol, often a letter from the alphabet, which represents an unknown value.

The number in front of a variable or product of variables, showing how many you have of that variable or product of variables

Two or more terms together form an expression.

Mathagon

Algebra

Variable

Coefficient

Algebraic Expression

Combining like Terms

Subtracting Variables

Adding and Subtracting Unlike Terms

Multiplying Numbers by Coefficients

Combining Variables with Exponents

Replacing a Variable with a Number

Elementary Algebra

Introduction

You can’t add or subtract variables that are different – for example, a + b. Find out why this is, and learn what to do when you encounter these, in this video.