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Student Question

Secondary II • 2yr.

Hi!

The vocabulary of algebraic expressions is confusing!

What does a coefficient, a variable mean?

I believed that a constant was a term...

Mathematics
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Explanations (1)

  • Explanation from Alloprof

    Explanation from Alloprof

    This Explanation was submitted by a member of the Alloprof team.

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    Team Alloprof • 2yr.

    Hello Zen Zombie!

    Thanks for your question 😉

    Algebraic expressions are made up of numbers and variables and symbols of mathematical operations. All these components form the terms, algebraic or constant, of the expression.

    The numbers in question are called coefficients or constants. A coefficient is a term made up of a digit or a number and any variable. A variable is in the form of a letter, often a, b, c, y, and z, which is assigned a variety of values.

    A constant, which is in effect a constant term, is made up of only one or more numbers or numeric digits. No variable is there.

    Example: 4xy² - 2x²y + 3x²y² - 5xy² + 30

    In this case, this polynomial, an expression containing several terms, has 4 algebraic terms and 1 constant. The 30 is the constant, 4,2,3 and 5 are coefficients and the letters x and y are the variables.

    Feel free to ask more questions if you have any!

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