Which pair are like terms?

Which pair are like terms?

• A. 3x and 5x^2
• B. 4y and 7y
• C. 2x and 4y
• D. 6 and 9

Answer: (B)

Like terms have the same variable raised to the same power. You can combine them because they share the exact same variable part. The pair with the same variable y (both are y to the first power) fits this idea. The terms are 4y and 7y, so they are like terms and can be added to form 11y. The other options don’t match because one has x and x^2 (same variable, different powers), another uses different variables (x vs y), and the last pair has no variable at all, which doesn’t align with the idea of like terms involving a variable.

Like terms have the same variable raised to the same power. You can combine them because they share the exact same variable part.

The pair with the same variable y (both are y to the first power) fits this idea. The terms are 4y and 7y, so they are like terms and can be added to form 11y.

The other options don’t match because one has x and x^2 (same variable, different powers), another uses different variables (x vs y), and the last pair has no variable at all, which doesn’t align with the idea of like terms involving a variable.