Choosing the Best Form of an Expression

Choosing the Best Form of an Expression

Introduction

Algebraic expressions can be written in multiple equivalent forms. Choosing the most useful form depends on the context — the factored form may be easier to int...

Alex is organizing a pizza party for a group of friends. Let x represent the number of friends attending the party. For each friend, he buys one pizza slice for $4 and one juice box for $1.

To find the total cost for one friend, Alex writes: $4 + $1. Since this same cost is repeated for x friends, the expression becomes x times the quantit...