Collecting like terms means to simplify terms in expressions in which the variables are the same. In the expression \(5a + 2b + 3a - 6b\), the terms \(5a\) and \(+ 3a\) are like terms, as are \(2b\) ...

In algebra, letters are used when numbers are not known. Algebraic terms, such as \(2s\) or \(8y\), leave the multiplication signs out. So rather than \(2 \times s\), write \(2s\), and rather than \(8 ...