Simplify the expression: $10-5x+x+3x$
The objective is to simplify the algebraic expression \(10 - 5x + x + 3x\). This involves identifying and combining like terms. Like terms are terms that have the same variable part (in this case, the variable \(x\)) raised to the same power. Constant terms, like 10, are also considered like terms.
First, we list all the individual terms in the expression: \(10\), \(-5x\), \(x\), and \(3x\). Note that \(x\) can be written as \(1x\). We group the terms containing the variable \(x\) together: \(-5x + 1x + 3x\). We also have the constant term \(10\).
Now we combine the coefficients of the \(x\) terms: \(-5 + 1 + 3\).
Calculating this sum:
\(-5 + 1 = -4\)
\(-4 + 3 = -1\)
So, \(-5x + 1x + 3x = -1x\), which is simply \(-x\).
Finally, we combine the resulting term with the constant term to write the simplified expression:
\(10 + (-x) = 10 - x\).
Thus, the expression \(10 - 5x + x + 3x\) simplifies to \(10 - x\).
Simplifying expressions is a fundamental skill in algebra used for balancing equations, managing budgets, and optimizing designs. For example, if you are calculating the total cost of an item that has a base price of \$10, and you have various discounts or charges involving a variable (like the quantity \(x\)) such as \(-5x\), \(x\), and \(3x\), simplifying the expression \(10 - 5x + x + 3x\) helps you quickly understand the net effect of these changes as \(10 - x\). This allows you to easily compute the final cost for any given quantity.