The language of algebra
An expression is made of terms β each term has a coefficient and a letter part.
An algebraic expression is a mix of numbers, letters and operations β for example . There is no equals sign, so it is not something you solve; it is something you read, tidy and sometimes stretch out.
The pieces between the or signs are called terms. So has three terms: , and . Each letter term is built from a coefficient (the number in front) and a variable (the letter). In the coefficient is and the variable is .
A few quiet conventions worth knowing: is always written as , as , and as . A term with no letter β like the above β is called a constant. Read every expression slowly the first time so you do not lose track of a sign.
- An expression has no equals sign β it is read, not solved.
- A term is a single chunk separated by or .
- Each letter term has a coefficient and a variable.
- is written as ; is written as .