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Knowledge base
More explainers from the knowledge base. Each one names what you need to know first, works through the method, and says where it usually goes wrong.
Method Basic MathHow to Write a Number in Scientific Notation: Step by StepThere are only three moves: find where the decimal point has to go, count how far it travelled, and let the direction decide the sign.
Concept Basic MathWhat Is Scientific Notation? A Plain ExplanationScientific notation is a way of writing numbers by their size and their digits separately. The digits go in front; a power of 10 says how far the decimal point has to travel.
Mistakes Algebra6 Common Simplifying MistakesFive of the six are caught the same way: substitute a number for x into both the original and the simplified expression, and compare.
Examples AlgebraSimplify Examples: 8 Worked ProblemsEight expressions, ordered so each one adds exactly one new idea to the last — every answer here is checked against the original by substituting a value for x.
Method AlgebraHow to Simplify an Expression: Step by StepTwo moves, always in the same order: distribute what is in parentheses, then add up the coefficients of every matching power of x.
Concept AlgebraWhat Does It Mean to Simplify an Expression?Simplifying does not change what an expression equals — it rewrites it in a form with fewer, cleaner terms that means exactly the same thing for every value of x.