# How do you combine like terms in (5x^{2}+4)-(3x+7)+(2x^{2}-1)?

How do you combine like terms in $\left(5{x}^{2}+4\right)-\left(3x+7\right)+\left(2{x}^{2}-1\right)$?
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Reagan Blair

Like terms are defined as terms with the same variables that are raised to the same power.
For example, the terms ax and $b{x}^{2}$ are NOT like terms because the coefficients a and b have variables (x and ${x}^{2}$, respectively) that are not raised to the same power.
In the expression $\left(5{x}^{2}+4\right)-\left(3x+7\right)+\left(2{x}^{2}-1\right)$, the like terms are grouped as follows:

-3x (this is negative because the subtraction sign is "distributed" to the terms inside of the parentheses)
4, -7, -1 (the reason for why it's -7 is the same reason for why -3x is negative)
Add the terms in the groups up...
$5{x}^{2}+2{x}^{2}=7{x}^{2}$
$-3x$
$4-7-1=-4$
Now you have the simplified expression: $7{x}^{2}-3x-4$