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Ch. R - Review of Basic Concepts
Lial - College Algebra 13th Edition
Lial13th EditionCollege AlgebraISBN: 9780136881063Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksLial 13th EditionCh. R - Review of Basic ConceptsProblem 28
Chapter 1, Problem 28

Add or subtract, as indicated. −(8x3+x−3)+(2x3+x2)−(4x2+3x−1)-(8x^3+x-3) + (2x^3+x^2) - (4x^2+3x-1)

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First, rewrite the expression clearly, paying attention to the signs in front of each parenthesis: \(-(8x^3 + x - 3) + (2x^3 + x^2) - (4x^2 + 3x - 1)\).
Next, distribute the negative signs to each term inside the parentheses where applicable: change the signs of all terms inside the first and third parentheses because of the leading minus signs.
After distribution, write out all the terms without parentheses: \(-8x^3 - x + 3 + 2x^3 + x^2 - 4x^2 - 3x + 1\).
Now, group like terms together. Like terms are terms that have the same variable raised to the same power: group \(x^3\) terms, \(x^2\) terms, \(x\) terms, and constant terms separately.
Finally, combine the coefficients of the like terms by adding or subtracting them accordingly to simplify the expression.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Polynomial Addition and Subtraction

Adding or subtracting polynomials involves combining like terms, which are terms with the same variable raised to the same power. When subtracting, distribute the negative sign to each term inside the parentheses before combining. This ensures correct simplification of the expression.
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Like Terms

Like terms have identical variable parts and exponents, such as 8x^3 and 2x^3. Only like terms can be added or subtracted directly by combining their coefficients. Recognizing like terms is essential for simplifying polynomial expressions accurately.
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Distributive Property

The distributive property allows you to multiply a single term outside the parentheses by each term inside. For subtraction, it means applying a negative sign to every term within the parentheses, changing their signs before combining. This step is crucial to avoid errors in polynomial operations.
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