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By the end of this section, you will be able to:
  • Evaluate algebraic expressions
  • Identify terms, coefficients, and like terms
  • Simplify expressions by combining like terms
  • Translate word phrases to algebraic expressions

Before you get started, take this readiness quiz.

  1. Is n ÷ 5 an expression or an equation?
    If you missed this problem, review Use the Language of Algebra .
  2. Simplify 4 5 .
    If you missed this problem, review Use the Language of Algebra .
  3. Simplify 1 + 8 9 .
    If you missed this problem, review Use the Language of Algebra .

Evaluate algebraic expressions

In the last section, we simplified expressions using the order of operations. In this section, we’ll evaluate expressions—again following the order of operations.

To evaluate    an algebraic expression means to find the value of the expression when the variable is replaced by a given number. To evaluate an expression , we substitute the given number for the variable in the expression and then simplify the expression using the order of operations.

Evaluate x + 7 when

  1. x = 3
  2. x = 12

Solution

To evaluate, substitute 3 for x in the expression, and then simplify.

Given. .
Substitute. .
Add. .

When x = 3 , the expression x + 7 has a value of 10 .

To evaluate, substitute 12 for x in the expression, and then simplify.

Given. .
Substitute. .
Add. .

When x = 12 , the expression x + 7 has a value of 19 .

Notice that we got different results for parts and even though we started with the same expression. This is because the values used for x were different. When we evaluate an expression, the value varies depending on the value used for the variable.

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Evaluate:

y + 4 when

  1. y = 6
  2. y = 15

  1. 10
  2. 19

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Evaluate:

a 5 when

  1. a = 9
  2. a = 17

  1. 4
  2. 12
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Evaluate 9 x 2 , when

  1. x = 5
  2. x = 1

Solution

Remember a b means a times b , so 9 x means 9 times x .

To evaluate the expression when x = 5 , we substitute 5 for x , and then simplify.

.
. .
Multiply. .
Subtract. .

To evaluate the expression when x = 1 , we substitute 1 for x , and then simplify.

.
. .
Multiply. .
Subtract. .

Notice that in part that we wrote 9 5 and in part we wrote 9 ( 1 ) . Both the dot and the parentheses tell us to multiply.

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Evaluate:

8 x 3 , when

  1. x = 2
  2. x = 1

  1. 13
  2. 5

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Evaluate:

4 y 4 , when

  1. y = 3
  2. y = 5

  1. 8
  2. 16

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Evaluate x 2 when x = 10 .

Solution

We substitute 10 for x , and then simplify the expression.

.
. .
Use the definition of exponent. .
Multiply. .

When x = 10 , the expression x 2 has a value of 100 .

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Evaluate:

x 2 when x = 8 .

64

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Evaluate:

x 3 when x = 6 .

216

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Evaluate 2 x when x = 5 .

Solution

In this expression, the variable is an exponent.

.
. .
Use the definition of exponent. .
Multiply. .

When x = 5 , the expression 2 x has a value of 32 .

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Evaluate:

2 x when x = 6 .

64

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Evaluate:

3 x when x = 4 .

81

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Evaluate 3 x + 4 y 6 when x = 10 and y = 2 .

Solution

This expression contains two variables, so we must make two substitutions.

.
. .
Multiply. .
Add and subtract left to right. .

When x = 10 and y = 2 , the expression 3 x + 4 y 6 has a value of 32 .

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Evaluate:

2 x + 5 y 4 when x = 11 and y = 3

33

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Evaluate:

5 x 2 y 9 when x = 7 and y = 8

10

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Evaluate 2 x 2 + 3 x + 8 when x = 4 .

Solution

We need to be careful when an expression has a variable with an exponent. In this expression, 2 x 2 means 2 x x and is different from the expression ( 2 x ) 2 , which means 2 x 2 x .

.
. .
Simplify 4 2 . .
Multiply. .
Add. .

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Evaluate:

3 x 2 + 4 x + 1 when x = 3 .

40

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Evaluate:

6 x 2 4 x 7 when x = 2 .

9

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Identify terms, coefficients, and like terms

Algebraic expressions are made up of terms . A term    is a constant or the product of a constant and one or more variables. Some examples of terms are 7 , y , 5 x 2 , 9 a , and 13 x y .

Questions & Answers

A golfer on a fairway is 70 m away from the green, which sits below the level of the fairway by 20 m. If the golfer hits the ball at an angle of 40° with an initial speed of 20 m/s, how close to the green does she come?
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cm
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A mouse of mass 200 g falls 100 m down a vertical mine shaft and lands at the bottom with a speed of 8.0 m/s. During its fall, how much work is done on the mouse by air resistance
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Can you compute that for me. Ty
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what is inorganic
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Chemistry is a branch of science that deals with the study of matter,it composition,it structure and the changes it undergoes
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A ball is thrown straight up.it passes a 2.0m high window 7.50 m off the ground on it path up and takes 1.30 s to go past the window.what was the ball initial velocity
Krampah Reply
2. A sled plus passenger with total mass 50 kg is pulled 20 m across the snow (0.20) at constant velocity by a force directed 25° above the horizontal. Calculate (a) the work of the applied force, (b) the work of friction, and (c) the total work.
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you have been hired as an espert witness in a court case involving an automobile accident. the accident involved car A of mass 1500kg which crashed into stationary car B of mass 1100kg. the driver of car A applied his brakes 15 m before he skidded and crashed into car B. after the collision, car A s
Samuel Reply
can someone explain to me, an ignorant high school student, why the trend of the graph doesn't follow the fact that the higher frequency a sound wave is, the more power it is, hence, making me think the phons output would follow this general trend?
Joseph Reply
Nevermind i just realied that the graph is the phons output for a person with normal hearing and not just the phons output of the sound waves power, I should read the entire thing next time
Joseph
Follow up question, does anyone know where I can find a graph that accuretly depicts the actual relative "power" output of sound over its frequency instead of just humans hearing
Joseph
"Generation of electrical energy from sound energy | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore" ***ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7150687?reload=true
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Magreth
progressive wave
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Mujahid
A string is 3.00 m long with a mass of 5.00 g. The string is held taut with a tension of 500.00 N applied to the string. A pulse is sent down the string. How long does it take the pulse to travel the 3.00 m of the string?
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Source:  OpenStax, Prealgebra. OpenStax CNX. Jul 15, 2016 Download for free at http://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11756/1.9
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