===INTRO:
Do the words "adding polynomials" make you break out in a cold sweat? Don’t worry – we’re here to help you understand the ins and outs of this maths concept quickly and easily! Keep reading to learn how to add polynomials like a pro!
Keeping Up with Polynomials: An Easy Guide
Polynomials are algebraic expressions made up of terms that are numbers, variables and their exponents. To add polynomials, all you need to do is group like terms (terms with the same variable and exponent) and add their coefficients together.
For example, let’s take a look at the polynomial 4x^2 + 7x + 8. Here, the like terms are 4x^2 and 7x, and the coefficient for each is 4 and 7 respectively. So, if we were to add them, we’d get 4x^2 + 7x = 11x^2.
Adding Polynomials Like a Pro!
Now that we know how to group like terms, let’s try a slightly more complicated example. Suppose we have the polynomial 5x^3 + 2x^2 + 7x + 9. In this case, the like terms are 5x^3 and 2x^2, and their coefficients are 5 and 2 respectively. So, if we add them, we get 5x^3 + 2x^2 = 7x^3.
The next step is to group the remaining terms, 7x and 9, and add their coefficients together. This gives us 7x + 9 = 16x. Now, we just need to combine the two like terms together to get our final answer: 7x^3 + 16x = 7x^3 + 16x.
And there you have it – you’ve successfully added polynomials like a pro!