Summary
Highlights
This section introduces an expression with decimal coefficients: -5.55 - 8.55c + 4.35c. The goal is to combine the 'c' terms first. This involves adding the coefficients -8.55 and 4.35, resulting in -4.2. The simplified expression becomes -5.55 - 4.2c, as the constant term and 'c' term cannot be combined further.
A second example demonstrates simplifying an expression with fractional coefficients: 2/5m - 4/5 - 3/5m. The terms with 'm' are rearranged and combined: (2/5 - 3/5)m = -1/5m. The final simplified form is -1/5m - 4/5, as these terms are not like terms.
The third example involves an expression with parentheses and fractions: 2(1/5m - 2/5) + 3/5. First, the 2 is distributed into the parentheses, yielding 2/5m - 4/5. Then, the constant terms -4/5 and +3/5 are combined, resulting in -1/5. The most simplified expression is 2/5m - 1/5.