Question

How do I Simplify 4a – 7b + 2ab – a + b (I need step by step cause I'm trying to learn this)

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

Ok. First of all, we need to follow the order of operations: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction. We don't have any parentheses, exponents, or division to resolve, so you can skip those. So now you have: Multiplication, Addition, and Subtraction. We have multiplication in each term, but each term is fully simplified, so we have Addition and Subtraction left.

With that out of the way, let's go ahead and rearrange this equation so it is easier to solve. (Note: we can only rearrange terms that are positive because subtraction is not commutative. But we can turn negative terms into "positive" terms by the method shown below.)

4a - 7b + 2ab - a + b

4a + (-7b) + 2ab + (-a) + b (Now the terms are all positive, so we can rearrange them, but they still have the same value.)

4a + (-a) + 2ab + (-7b) + b

3a + 2ab + 7b

And there we go. Our answer is fully simplified. If you can understand this, you'll be able to simplify without isolating and rearranging the terms each time.

Hopefully this was helpful and not confusing.