Examples of Like Terms
3xy and 5xy are like terms since
both terms contain the same variables with the same exponents (i.e., xy's). Only the coefficients (3 and 5) are different.
and 9$#@ are like terms since they contain the same variables (@,
#, and $) with the same exponents. Note that the order does not
3 and 3/2 are like terms since there is no variable. (In fact, they
are just numbers or constants.)
Nonexamples of Like Terms
3x + y and 4xy are not like
terms since 3x + y is actually two terms and x + y
is not the same as xy.
and 17x are not like terms
since the variable x does not have the same exponent in each term.
and are not like terms since the terms do
not contain the same variable even though the exponents are the same.