Question

How do you combine like terms in `(2w ^ { 2} - 5w - 7) - ( 4w ^ { 2} + 8+ 3w )`?

Answer 1

Like terms have the same variable power (so the `w^2` terms combine, the `w` terms combine, and the terms without any `w`s combine).

So, if we distribute the parenthesis,

`(2w ^ { 2} - 5w - 7) - ( 4w ^ { 2} + 8+ 3w )`
`=2w ^ { 2} - 5w - 7 - 4w ^ { 2}- 8- 3w`
`=-2w ^ { 2} - 8w - 15`