How to simplify an expression - PSAT Math
Card 0 of 5
Which of the following phrases can be written as the algebraic expression 
?
Which of the following phrases can be written as the algebraic expression
is seventeen decreased by 
, which is the cube of a number; therefore, 
is "seventeen decreased by the cube of a number."
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Increase 
by 70%. Which of the following will this be equal to?
Increase
A number increased by 70% is equivalent to 100% of the number plus 70% of the number. This is taking 170% of the number, or, equivalently, multiplying it by 1.7.
Therefore, 
increased by 70% is 1.7 times this, or
A number increased by 70% is equivalent to 100% of the number plus 70% of the number. This is taking 170% of the number, or, equivalently, multiplying it by 1.7.
Therefore,
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Which of the following phrases can be written as the algebraic expression 
?
Which of the following phrases can be written as the algebraic expression
is the cube of 
, which is the difference of a number and nineteen; therefore, 
is "the cube of the difference of a number and nineteen."
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Which of the following operations could represent the expression 
?
Which of the following operations could represent the expression
Begin by putting the equation given into your own words. It might sound something similar to:
2 times x squared plus 7
Now, go through each answer choice and see if any of them are similar to this. We immediately see that the answer "7 more than 2 times the square of x" is similar to what we came up with. Let's do a quick run through of the other choices to be sure of our choice:
"2 times 7 more than the square of x" is equal to 
, which is equivalent to 
.
"2 times 7 less than the square of x" is equal to 
, which is equivalent to 
.
"7 more than the square of 2x" is equal to 
, which is equivalent to 
.
"7 less than the square of 2x" is equal to 
, which is equivalent to 
.
The only answer that works is "7 more than 2 times the square of x". This is the correct answer.
Begin by putting the equation given into your own words. It might sound something similar to:
2 times x squared plus 7
Now, go through each answer choice and see if any of them are similar to this. We immediately see that the answer "7 more than 2 times the square of x" is similar to what we came up with. Let's do a quick run through of the other choices to be sure of our choice:
"2 times 7 more than the square of x" is equal to
"2 times 7 less than the square of x" is equal to
"7 more than the square of 2x" is equal to
"7 less than the square of 2x" is equal to
The only answer that works is "7 more than 2 times the square of x". This is the correct answer.
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What does 
equal?
What does
When solving a complex expression, remember the acronym PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction). Reading left to right, begin by doing all operations within the innermost Parentheses first:
Continue simplifying using the acronym PEMDAS:
The expression is equal to -63.
When solving a complex expression, remember the acronym PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction). Reading left to right, begin by doing all operations within the innermost Parentheses first:
Continue simplifying using the acronym PEMDAS:
The expression is equal to -63.
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