Expressions and Equations

In Math, an algebraic expression is like a sentence containing terms that can be reused to solve similar problems even if the numbers change. It can include variables or constants but DOES NOT have an equal sign. An equation has an equal sign which shows that the two expressions have the same value.

Parts of an expression:

Terms: Terms are variables or constants separated by plus or minus signs.

Variable: A letter or symbol used to represent ANY number you want.

Numerical Coefficient: A number that you multiply a variable by in an expression. If there is nothing written next to it, it is 1 or -1 (for -x for example).

Constant: A term in an expression that has a fixed value and does not contain variables.