B.

ALGEBRAIC EXPRESSIONS

Learning Objectives
1. Simplify expressions using the laws of exponents.
2. Identify constants and variables in algebraic expressions.
3. Simplify algebraic expressions by removing grouping symbols.
4. Add, subtract, and multiply algebraic expressions.

Before we define an algebraic expression, let us first look at the following laws of
exponents which we will use later:

Positive Integral Exponents

Definition
Let a be any real number and n be any positive integer. The n th power of a or a
raised to the n th power is defined by
a n  a 
 a  
a a
a
n factors

where a is the base and n is the exponent of the expression an .

Example
1. 34  3  3  3  3  81
2.  25   2   2   2   2   2  32
4
 1  1  1  1  1 1
         
3.  2  2  2  2  2 16

Zero and Negative Exponents

Definition Let n be a positive integer and a be any nonzero real number.

The zero and negative exponents are defined as follows:
1
a n 
a  1 and
0
an

Example

1. 999 0  1
2.  50  1
 1 1
42  2

3. 4 16
 23  1 3  1   1
4.  2  8 8
5. x   1 for some real number x  0
20 0

Remark Observe that

1 1 an
n
 n
 1   an
a 1a 1

Laws of Integral Exponents

Let a and b be real numbers and m and n be any positive integers. The following
are the laws of exponents.

Law 1 a m a n  a m n

Example
1. 32  33  323  35  243
(2) 4  2  (2) 4 2  (2)6  64
2
2.
1 1
20  2  2  20  2  2  2  2 
3. 2 4
Law 2 a   a
m n mn

Example

1. 4   4
2 3 6
 4096
2. 2   2
0 3 0
1

 1 4 2
  1 
8 1
 1 1
8
1
 1
3.

Law 3 ab n  a nb n

Example

1. 23  2  3  4  9  36
2 2 2

 24   2  4  1
3 3 3

1

1 1
 
1
2.  2 3
4 3
 8 64 512
 2 2 2
 1  1   1  1 1 1
  5   2        
3.     5  2  1 5  1 22
2

1 1
   25  4  100
1 25 1 4

n
a a
n

  
b b
n
Law 4

Example
2
2 2
2
4 1
   2  
1.  4  4 16 4
 3 (3) 2
2
9
   
  5   5 25
2
2.
1
  
3
 3

  3   8 
2 2 1 27 27
  
 3  3 1 8 1 8
3. 27

an
 a nm , where a  0
Law 5 a m

Example
22 1 1
 223  21  1 
1. 2 3
2 2
 23   232   21  2
2.  23
22 1 1
 2  2 3  2 5  5 
3. 2 3
2 32

Remark If a given expression involves zero and negative exponents, then the
laws of integral exponents will be used to simplify this expression; that is, these zero
and negative exponents will be eliminated.
Example Simplify the following expressions.

32 x 9

3x y  2 3 4
34 x8 y12 9 y12
 2 9 
y 0 3x 2 y 3 
4
1. 1  32 x 9 3 x x

2a 2b3c 0 1  6 3 3 c3
 a b c 
2. 254a 4b6c 3 127 127 a 6b3
2
 6a  2b 2 c  4 
 3 1 2   2a1b3c 6   2 2 6  2 6
2 c12 c12
3.  3a b c  2 ab 4a b

Exercises

Eliminate zero and negative exponents and simplify.

2
3x 20 y12 z16  2 x  2 y  3 w0 
 
1.  x9 y 3 z 3  9 x4 y 6 z 4  1 2
6.  3x y w 
3 1
 40 x  4 y 2   9a 2bc 4 
 3 0   0 2 1 3 
2.  2x y z  7.  3 a b c 
1 2
 64a  2b 4c 0   9 xy 0 z  4 
 4 5 3 
  3 5 2 
3.  27 a b c  8.  3x y z 
3
 x 1 y 2 z 3 
1
 4 x 0 w2 y 3 
 3  2 1   
  2 x 1wy 4 
4.  2x y z  9.  

 x 1 y 0 x 2y 2 z 3 
2
1
   3 x 1 y 2 z 3 
 2 x 2 y 2 z 1   3  2 1 
5.   10.  2x y z 

Variables, Constants, and Algebraic Expressions

Definition A variable is a symbol or a letter that is used to represent any

element of a given set. The given set is called the domain of the variable. A constant
is a symbol whose domain contains only one element.

Remark
1. If the domain of a variable is a subset of the set R of real numbers, then the
variable represents a real number.
2. Letters of the alphabet like a , b and c are usually used to denote constants.
Example
1. In the expression 2 x  5 , x is a variable while 2 and 5 are constants.
2. The expression ax2  bx  c has x as a variable while a , b and c are the
constants.

Definition An algebraic expression is defined as a constant, a variable, or a

combination of variables and constants involving a finite number of indicated
operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, raising to a power,
or extraction of a root.

Example The following are algebraic expressions:

5 2 5 5u 2  6uv  v 2  3
2, x ,  7 m 3 , 5 x 2  2 , x 2  6 xy  y 2 ,
2 2 3u  2v  1

Remark An algebraic expression is composed of distinct parts separated by the

sign   or   . This expression is then referred to as an algebraic sum.

Definition A term of an algebraic expression is any of the distinct parts in the

expression together with its sign   or   .

Definition An algebraic expression is called

1. monomial if it consists of only one term;
2. multinomial if it consists of more than two terms.
In particular, a binomial is a multinomial having two terms and a trinomial is a
multinomial having three terms.

Example
5

1. x 3 is a monomial
2. 5 x 2  2 z is a binomial
5 2
x  6 xy  y 2  2
3. 2 is a multinomial with four terms

Definition If a term of an algebraic expression consists of a product of two or

more factors, then any product of any set of factors is called a coefficient. The
constant factor is called a numerical coefficient while the variable factor is called a
literal coefficient.
 In  7 x yz ,
2
Example
 7x2 is the coefficient of yz
 7 x 2 y is the coefficient of z
 7 is a numerical coefficient
x 2 yz is a literal coefficient

Definition Similar or like terms are terms having the same literal coefficients.
Otherwise, they are called unlike or dissimilar terms.

Example

1.  7 x 2 yz 3 , 3x 2 yz 3 and x 2 yz 3 are like terms

2.  7 x 2 yz 3 and 3xyz 2 are unlike terms

Definition A polynomial is an algebraic expression involving only

nonnegative integer (0 or positive integer) powers of one or more variables.

Remark In a polynomial, the word indeterminate is used instead of the

word variable.

Example
1. 2 is a constant polynomial
5 2
x
2. 2 and 5 x 2  2 are polynomials in indeterminate x
5 2 5 2
x y x  6 xy  y 2
3. 2 and 2 are polynomials in indeterminates x and y
5u 2  6uv  v 2  2
4. 3u  2v  1 and  5m3 are not polynomials

Definition A term of a polynomial is defined to be a constant or a constant

multiplied by nonnegative integer powers of the indeterminates.

Remark
1. The terms of a polynomial are separated by either a plus () or a minus  
sign.
2. A polynomial is the sum of a finite number of terms.
 5 2
x  6 xy  y 2
Example The multinomial 2 is a polynomial in indeterminates
5 2
x
x and y having three terms 2 ,  6 xy , and y .
2

Definition The degree of a term of a polynomial in some indeterminate is

the exponent of that indeterminate. The degree of a term of a polynomial in two or
more indeterminates is the sum of the exponents of these indeterminates.

Example
1. 5 x is a first degree term in the indeterminate x .
2.  7 x 2 yz 3 is a second degree term in x , first degree in y , third degree in z , and
sixth degree in indeterminates x , y and z .
3. 5 and 2 are zero degree terms.

Definition The degree of a polynomial is equal to the degree of the term

with highest degree in the polynomial.

Example
1. x3  2 x 2  24 is a polynomial of degree three.
2. x3 y 3  3xy 2 z 3  z 5 is a polynomial of degree six.