Question

How do you simplify `(-6x + 2y - 3) + (2x - 4y - 7)`?

Answer 1

• Open up the parentheses
• Sort x's, y's and constants
• Add the x's, y's and constants together

Explanation:

Since both of the sets of parentheses are positive, you can remove them. Keep in mind that when you have negative parentheses, for example -(a-b), you have to change the signs inside the parentheses, so you get -a -b.
This won't be a problem here, since we only have positive parentheses.

`(-6x + 2y - 3) + (2x - 4y - 7)`
`= -6x + 2y - 3 + 2x - 4y - 7`

Let's sort...

`-6x + 2x +2y - 4y - 3 - 7`

Add x's together, y's together and constants together...

`-4x -2y -10`

And that's your answer!

You can eventually factorize `-2` out of the expression so you have `-2(2x + y + 5)`

but you don't have to.