Question

How do you simplify `-6k+7k`?

Answer 1

`k`

Explanation:

The first rule with addition in algebra is that you can only add like terms.

In this case both terms have the variable `k`. They are like terms and therefore can be added.

`-6k +7k`

There is a negative term and a positive term. The number of positives is more than the number of negatives. The answer will therefore be positive.

`-6k +7k` means the same as `7k -6k`

This gives `1k`, but we do not write coefficients that are `1`.

The answer is `k`

This can also be written in expanded form as:

`+k+k+k+k+k+k+k-k-k-k-k-k-k`

Regrouping gives:

`(k-k)+(k-k)+(k-k)+(k-k)+(k-k)+(k-k)+k`

=`0+0+0+0+0+0 +k`

=`k`