How do you combine like terms in #(5w ^ { 4} + 6w ^ { 3} + 6w + 4) - ( w ^ { 4} + 2w ^ { 3} + 2w + 2)#?

1 Answer
Mar 11, 2017

See the entire solution process below:

Explanation:

First, remove all of the terms from parenthesis. Be careful to handle the signs of each individual term correctly:

#5w^4 + 6w^3 + 6w + 4 - w^4 - 2w^3 - 2w - 2#

Next, group like terms:

#5w^4 - w^4 + 6w^3 - 2w^3 + 6w - 2w + 4 - 2#

Now, combine like terms:

#(5 - 1)w^4 + (6 - 2)w^3 + (6 - 2)w + 2#

#4w^4 + 4w^3 + 4w + 2#