Which expression is equivalent to ?

When you combine like terms in the expression , you’re essentially adding the coefficients of together. So, gives you , therefore the expression simplifies to ! It’s like gathering all your apples in one basket—no need for multiple baskets when you can just count them all together!

This idea of combining like terms is super useful in algebra and even in everyday life, like when you’re adding all the ingredients in a recipe that share the same unit of measurement—makes cooking much easier! Think of it as tidying up your math room!