Expressions Vocabulary Practice

Variable

A letter or symbol used to represent a number or quantity that can change.

Algebraic Expression

A mathematical phrase involving at least one variable and include numbers and operation symbols, but there is no equal sign because that would be an equation.

Coefficient

A number multiplied by a variable in an algebraic expression. Ex: 4y + 10 where 4 is the Coefficient.

Term

A term in an algebraic expression is separated by a plus or minus sign. In the expression 5x + 3y + 8, there are three terms which are: 5x, 3y, and 8.

Constant

A value that does not change and has no variable attached to it. Ex: 7x + 6 where 6 is the Constant.

Numerical Expression

An expression that contains only numbers and operations (no variables/letters or symbols).

Equivalent Expressions

Expressions that have the same value and are equal.

Factor an Expression

Finding what to multiply together to get an expression using the GCF. It is like "splitting" an expression into a multiplication of simpler expressions. Ex: factor the expression 2y+6. Both 2y and 6 have a greatest common factor of 2, so the expression 2y + 6 can be factored into 2(y+3). The opposite of factoring would be using the Distributive Property or Expanding.

Like Terms

Like Terms are terms whose variables (and their exponents such as the 2 in x^2) are the same. Therefore, x^2 and x^3 are not like terms.

Evaluate an Expression

Replacing each variable in the expression by a given value or number and simplifying the result using the Order of Operations.

Base

The base (such as the 7 in 7^2) represents is the value that is multiplied by itself or used as a factor based on the number of times indicated by the exponent, which would be 7 x 7 = 49 where 7 is the base.

Exponent

The exponent (such as the 2 in 9^2) represents how many times to use the value or base in a multiplication equation, which would be 9 x 9 = 81 where 2 is the exponent.