These worksheets will give your students practice simplifying basic to intermediate expressions that contain variables.

We often simplify many different forms of algebraic expressions to make complex or problematic to make them much easier to work with or understand. In order to do this, we analyze the expression for like terms. This means that they have the same constants, variables, or variables raised to a power. Once we locate these like terms, we condense them by finding their sum. Say for instance that we have the polynomial expression: 3x2 + 5x – 2 + x2 + 2x + 4. To condense or simplify, we look for the terms that are the same. I always start with the consonants these are the numbers that have no attached variables. In this case those are -2 and +4, when we find the sum it is 2. We now look for terms that contain like variables the terms with x as their variable is: 5x and 2x. Their sum is 7x. The remaining variable term is x2. We have two terms with that variable: 3 x2 and x2. Their sum would be 4 x2. This is the basic method we use for to reduce expressions.

This series of worksheets give students hefty expanded expressions. Students are asked to reduce or simplify those bad boys. The basic steps we take here is to multiple any factors present this way you can remove parentheses. Your second move should be to expand any exponents that might be present. If you have any coefficients hanging around, combine any like terms that are present to get that going. Your ability to spot common factors will make or break you here. We would suggest that teachers review combining of like terms with students prior to working on this section. Student will practice simplifying a variety of simple and more complex expressions. Each worksheet provides 10 problems.



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Simplifying Expressions

Students will practice simplifying expressions. Ten problems are provided.

Practice Worksheets

This worksheet offers ten opportunities for students to practice. Includes addition and subtraction.

Simplifying Moderately Complex Expressions

This worksheet provides ten moderately complex expressions. Students will breakdown the expressions.

Simplifying Expressions Worksheet

Ten problems are provided. Students will practice rewriting expressions in their simplest form.

More Opportunities to Simplify Expressions

Students will simplify the expressions provided. There are ten problems. The problem set includes addition, subtraction, positive and negative numbers, variables and exponents.