Three terms are written as 5p^2q, 5pq^2 and 5pq. A student says, 'Since the variables p and q appear in all three, they must be like terms.' Why is the student wrong?

Question

Accepted Answer

The powers of p and q are not the same in all three terms. Like terms need the SAME powers of each variable. Here the powers differ: p^2q, pq^2 and pq are all different variable parts, so they are unlike.

Three terms are written as $5 p^{2} q, 5 p q^{2}$ and $5 pq$ .
A student says, 'Since the variables $p$ and $q$ appear in all three, they must be like terms.'
Why is the student wrong?

Step-by-Step Solution

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More Class 7 Like and Unlike Terms practice

Three terms are written as 5p2q,5pq2 and 5pq.A student says, 'Since the variables p and q appear in all three, they must be like terms.'Why is the student wrong?

Step-by-Step Solution

Master this chapter in 30 minutes a day.

More Class 7 Like and Unlike Terms practice

Three terms are written as $5 p^{2} q, 5 p q^{2}$ and $5 pq$ .
A student says, 'Since the variables $p$ and $q$ appear in all three, they must be like terms.'
Why is the student wrong?