GRE Basic Algebra Refresher

Simplifying expressions
• “Like terms” are terms that have the same variables

Examples:

● 4x and 7x are like terms because their variable “x ” are identical

● 9xy and 2xy are like terms because their variables “xy ” are identical
● x 2y 5, 7x 2y 5 and –13x 2y 5 are like terms because their variables “x 2y 5” are identical

• When there is no number in front of the variable (called the coefficient), that number is
assumed to be 1

Examples:
● x = 1x
● x y 5 = 1 x 2y 5
2

• Like terms can be combined, by adding or subtracting coefficients. This process is called “simplifying.”

● 4x + 7x = 11x
● 9xy – 2xy = 7xy
● x 2y 5+ 7x 2y 5 –13x 2y 5 = –5x 2y 5

Practice: Simplify the following Answers:

a) 3 x + 2 x a) 5x

b) 5 x − 2 y − x + 9y b) 4 x + 7 y

c) −3m + 6 − 2 + m c) −2m + 4

1 3 4
d) x+ x d) x
5 5 5

e) 5 xy 2 − 8 xy 2 + xy 2 e) −2xy 2

f) x 2 y 3 − 2 x 5 y 7 + 6y 3 x 2 + 5 y 7 x 5 f) 7 x 2 y 3 + 3 x 5 y 7

g) x + 6 y + 7 x − 5 y − 8 x g) y

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GRE Basic Algebra Refresher

Multiplying monomials (multiplying one term by another)

• Multiply the coefficients and multiply similar variables (remember your exponent laws)

Examples:

( 3 x )( 5 x ) = 15 x
2 7
( m )( 4m )( 6m ) = 24m
5 7
9
Don’t forget that if a variable has no
exponent shown, then the exponent is 1
3 15

e.g., x = x 1
( 8 n ) ( n ) = 8n
10 11

( 7 x y z )( 2 x y z ) = 14 x
2 5 3 4 6 6
y 11z 4

Practice: Simplify the following Answers:

a) ( 5 y 3 )( 8y 6 ) a) 40y 9

b) ( 4 j 2k 3 m5 )( 9 j 6 k 4 m ) b) 36 j 8 k 7 m 6

c) ( −4 x y )( x y )( 5 xy )
3 3 2 5 3
c) −20x 6 y 11

d) ( x y )( 2 x
2 3 5
y 7 )( 5 y 7 x 5 ) d) 10x 12 y 17

e) ( 4 x y ) ( 3 x ) ( 2y z )
2 5 2
e) 24x 3 y 6 z 2

Practice: Fill in the blanks Answers:

a) ( 9y 5 ) ( ) = 18y 8 a) ( 9y 5 )( 2y 3 ) = 18y 8

b) ( 4 x 5 ) ( 2 x )( ) = 40 x 12 b) ( 4 x 5 ) ( 2 x ) ( 5 x 6 ) = 40 x 12

c) ( ) ( 6 x 3 y 2 ) = −24 x 8 y 3 c) ( −4 x 5 y )( 6 x 3 y 2 ) = −24 x 8 y 3

d) ( −10 xyz 2 ) ( ) = 30 x 3 y 5 z 2 d) ( −10 xyz 2 )( −3x 2 y 4 ) = 30 x 3 y 5 z 2

e) ( 5 yz )( ) = 5wx 2 y 3 z 2 e) ( 5 yz ) ( wx 2 y 2 z ) = 5wx 2 y 3 z 2

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GRE Basic Algebra Refresher

Multiplying a polynomial by a monomial

• Multiply each term in the polynomial by the monomial in front.

Examples:
5 ( 2 x + 7 ) = 10 x + 35
2 x 3 ( 7 x 2 − 3 x ) = 14 x 5 − 6 x 4 The process of multiplying each
term in the parentheses by the
−10 ( m 6 − 2m 5 ) = −10m 6 + 20m 5 term in front is called “expanding”
−7 x ( x 2 + 2 x − 5 ) = −7 x 3 − 14 x 2 + 35 x
4 x 3 y 2 z ( 5 xyz − x 3 z 2 ) = 20 x 4 y 3 z 2 − 4 x 6 y 2 z 3

Practice: Simplify the following Answers:

a) 3 ( 2y 2 + 4 y − 7 ) a) 6y 2 + 12y − 21

b) 2 x ( x 3 − 5 x ) b) 2 x 4 − 10 x 2

c) −5 x 2 y 6 ( 3 xy − x 7 y 2 − x 2 ) c) −15 x 3 y 7 + 5 x 9 y 8 + 5 x 4 y 6

d) −6 xy 2 ( −3 + 2 x − y 7 ) d) 18 xy 2 − 12 x 2 y 2 + 6 xy 9

e) 7z 2 ( xz + 2 x − 4wyz ) e) 7 xz 3 + 14 xz 2 − 28wyz 3

Practice: Fill in the blanks Answers:

a) −2 x ( ) = −4 x 6 + 6 x a) −2 x ( 2 x 5 − 3 ) = −4 x 6 + 6 x

b) 4 x 3 ( ) = 20 x 8 + 16 x 5 − 12 x 3 b) 4 x 3 ( 5 x 5 + 4 x 2 − 3 ) = 20 x 8 + 16 x 5 − 12 x 3

c) 5 x 3 y ( ) = −10 x 7 y + 5 x 3 y 2 c) 5 x 3 y ( −2 x 4 + y ) = −10 x 7 y + 5 x 3 y 2

d) 4 xz ( ) = −4 x 4 yz + 8 xyz 4 d) 4 xz ( − x 3 y + 2yz 3 ) = −4 x 4 yz + 8 xyz 4

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GRE Basic Algebra Refresher

Multiplying two binomials

• One by one, multiply a term from one binomial with a term from the other binomial
• Multiply terms in the following order Front, Outside, Inside, Last (F.O.I.L.)

( x + 3 )( x + 7 ) ( x + 3 )( x + 7 ) ( x + 3 )( x + 7 ) ( x + 3 )( x + 7 )
First Outside Inside Last

x2 7x 3x 21
Examples:
( x + 3 )( x + 7 ) = x 2 + 7 x + 3 x + 21 ( x − 2 )( x + 9 ) = x 2 + 9 x − 2 x − 18
= x 2 + 10 x + 21 = x 2 + 7 x − 18

( 3 x − 5 )( 2 x + 1) = 6 x 2 + 3 x − 10 x − 5 ( 5 x − 2 )( 3 x − 7 ) = 15 x 2 − 35 x − 6 x + 14
= 6x 2 − 7x − 5 = 15 x 2 − 41x + 14

Practice: Expand and simplify the following Answers:

a) ( x + 6 )( x + 2 ) a) x 2 + 8 x + 12

b) ( 2 x + 1)( x + 5 ) b) 2 x 2 + 11x + 5

c) ( x − 4 )( x + 3 ) c) x 2 − x − 12

d) ( 3 x − 5 )( 2 x − 1) d) 6 x 2 − 13 x + 5

e) ( 3 x + 7 )( x + 1) e) 3 x 2 + 10 x + 7

f) ( 5 x + 2 )( 5 x − 2 ) f) 25 x 2 − 4

g) ( 4x 2
− 3) ( 2 x + 5 ) g) 8 x 3 + 20 x 2 − 6 x − 15