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

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Answer 1 · 2017-05-04T22:07:09

See a solution process below:

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

#8x^4 - 2x^3 - 5x^2 - 4x^4 - 2x^3 + 7x^2#

Next, group like terms:

#8x^4 - 4x^4 - 2x^3 - 2x^3 - 5x^2 + 7x^2#

Now, combine like terms:

#(8 - 4)x^4 + (-2 - 2)x^3 + (-5 + 7)x^2#

#4x^4 + (-4)x^3 + 2x^2#

#4x^4 - 4x^3 + 2x^2#