Simplifying Polynomial Expressions
This article will guide you through the process of simplifying the following polynomial expression:
(-3x^3 + 5x^2 + 10x + 4) - (x^3 + 7x^2 - 3x + 1)
Understanding the Steps
To simplify this expression, we'll follow these steps:
-
Distribute the negative sign: The minus sign in front of the second set of parentheses means we multiply each term inside that set by -1.
-
Combine like terms: Identify terms with the same variable and exponent, and add their coefficients.
Simplifying the Expression
Let's apply these steps to our expression:
-
Distributing the negative sign:
(-3x^3 + 5x^2 + 10x + 4) -1(x^3 + 7x^2 - 3x + 1)
= -3x^3 + 5x^2 + 10x + 4 -x^3 - 7x^2 + 3x - 1
-
Combining like terms:
-3x^3 - x^3 + 5x^2 - 7x^2 + 10x + 3x + 4 - 1
= -4x^3 - 2x^2 + 13x + 3
Conclusion
Therefore, the simplified form of the expression (-3x^3 + 5x^2 + 10x + 4) - (x^3 + 7x^2 - 3x + 1) is -4x^3 - 2x^2 + 13x + 3.