Which of the following expressions cannot be simplified?

Which of the following expressions cannot be simplified?

• A. 2x + 3x
• B. 5y - 7y + 3y
• C. 8 + 5b + 2a
• D. 4p + 2p + 6q

Answer: (C)

The expression that cannot be simplified is one where the terms do not share a common component. In this case, the expression 8 + 5b + 2a contains three different types of terms: a constant (8), a term involving 'b' (5b), and a term involving 'a' (2a). Since these terms are not like terms—they do not share the same variable—there are no terms to combine, which means this expression cannot be simplified further. On the other hand, let’s consider the other expressions. In the first case with 2x + 3x, both terms are like terms involving the same variable 'x', allowing them to be combined to simplify to 5x. The second expression, 5y - 7y + 3y, simplifies to a single term involving 'y' as well, which combines to give 1y or simply y. The last expression, 4p + 2p + 6q, includes 'p' terms that can be combined (4p + 2p equals 6p), while 6q remains separate since it is a different variable. Thus, it can be further simplified to 6p + 6

The expression that cannot be simplified is one where the terms do not share a common component. In this case, the expression 8 + 5b + 2a contains three different types of terms: a constant (8), a term involving 'b' (5b), and a term involving 'a' (2a). Since these terms are not like terms—they do not share the same variable—there are no terms to combine, which means this expression cannot be simplified further.

On the other hand, let’s consider the other expressions. In the first case with 2x + 3x, both terms are like terms involving the same variable 'x', allowing them to be combined to simplify to 5x. The second expression, 5y - 7y + 3y, simplifies to a single term involving 'y' as well, which combines to give 1y or simply y. The last expression, 4p + 2p + 6q, includes 'p' terms that can be combined (4p + 2p equals 6p), while 6q remains separate since it is a different variable. Thus, it can be further simplified to 6p + 6