When you're working with algebra, there are some common mistakes you should try to avoid:
Mixing Up Like Terms: More than half of students accidentally add or subtract terms that are not the same. Remember, you can only combine terms that are alike, like .
Forgetting the Distributive Property: Many people don't use the distributive property correctly. For example, if you have , it should be . Not getting this right can cause mistakes in more than 30% of problems.
Using Parentheses Incorrectly: If you ignore parentheses, the results can change a lot. For instance, is NOT the same as . This can lead to errors in about 20% of cases.
By keeping an eye out for these mistakes, you can do better with algebraic expressions!
When you're working with algebra, there are some common mistakes you should try to avoid:
Mixing Up Like Terms: More than half of students accidentally add or subtract terms that are not the same. Remember, you can only combine terms that are alike, like .
Forgetting the Distributive Property: Many people don't use the distributive property correctly. For example, if you have , it should be . Not getting this right can cause mistakes in more than 30% of problems.
Using Parentheses Incorrectly: If you ignore parentheses, the results can change a lot. For instance, is NOT the same as . This can lead to errors in about 20% of cases.
By keeping an eye out for these mistakes, you can do better with algebraic expressions!