Simplifying the Expression: (7s - 2t) - (3s - 4st + 7t)
This article will guide you through simplifying the expression (7s - 2t) - (3s - 4st + 7t). We'll break down the steps involved and explain the key concepts used.
Understanding the Steps
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Distributing the Negative Sign: The minus sign in front of the second set of parentheses indicates that we need to multiply each term inside the parentheses by -1. This changes the signs of all the terms within the parentheses.
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Combining Like Terms: After distributing the negative sign, we can identify terms with the same variable and exponent (like terms) and combine their coefficients.
Simplifying the Expression
Let's apply these steps:
(7s - 2t) - (3s - 4st + 7t)
Step 1: Distribute the negative sign.
= 7s - 2t - 3s + 4st - 7t
Step 2: Combine like terms.
= (7s - 3s) + (-2t - 7t) + 4st
Step 3: Simplify.
= 4s - 9t + 4st
Final Result
The simplified form of the expression (7s - 2t) - (3s - 4st + 7t) is 4s - 9t + 4st.