<img src="https://d5nxst8fruw4z.cloudfront.net/atrk.gif?account=iA1Pi1a8Dy00ym" style="display:none" height="1" width="1" alt="" />

# 7.5: Simplify Products or Quotients of Single Variable Expressions

Difficulty Level: At Grade Created by: CK-12
Estimated3 minsto complete
%
Progress
Practice Simplify Products or Quotients of Single Variable Expressions
Progress
Estimated3 minsto complete
%

Laine is helping his mother decorate the patio by putting tiles on a rectangular wall that is 20 tiles wide and 32 tiles high. If each tile is a square with side s, then the total area is . How can Laine figure out the total area to be tiled in simplified form?

In this concept, you will learn to simplify products or quotients of single variable expressions.

### Guidance

With expressions, terms are separated from each other by addition or subtraction, while factors are separated by multiplication or division. For example, the expression  is composed of two terms,  and , and each of those terms is composed of three factors.

When adding or subtracting terms in an expression, you can only combine like terms, which are composed of only the same variables. However, you can multiply or divide terms whether they are like terms or not.

For example,  and  are like terms - both terms include only the variables of a and b, regardless of the order in which they appear in each term. However,  and  are not like terms, since one contains the variable a, and the other contains the variable b. Since  and  are not like terms, they can't be added together:

There is nothing you can do to simplify the expression.

However,  and  can be multiplied by each other:

Clearly,  is simpler than .

Two rules will help you multiply expressions that contain variables. The Commutative Property of Multiplication states that two terms can be multiplied in any order. The Associative Property of Multiplication states that the grouping of terms does not change your answer.

It is also helpful to remember that when multiplying like variables together, you add the exponents.

For example, remember that  is the same as :

Look at the following example.

Simplify .

First, multiply the number parts.

Next, multiply the variables.

Here is another example.

Simplify .

These are not like terms, since they contain different variables, but they can still be multiplied.

First, multiply the numbers.

Next, multiply the variables.

Here is one more example.

Find the product .

and  are not like terms, however, you can multiply terms even if they are not like terms.

Use the commutative and associative properties to rearrange the factors to make it easier to see how they can be multiplied.

According to the commutative property, .

According to the associative property, the grouping of the factors does not change the answer. Group the factors so that the numbers are multiplied first.

Now, multiply.

Here is an example using division.

Find the quotient .

First, rewrite the problem like this .

Then separate out the numbers and variables like this.

Now, divide 42 by 7 to find the quotient.

### Guided Practice

Find the quotient of .

First, rewrite the problem.

Then, separate the factors.

Next, reduce and cancel.

### Examples

#### Example 1

Use the commutative and associative properties of multiplication to simplify .

First, apply the associative property to separate the a and the 9.

Next, apply the commutative property to put the numbers and variables next to each other.

Then, apply the associative property again to group the similar factors.

Finally, multiply the similar factors.

#### Example 2

Use the commutative and associative properties of multiplication to simplify .

First, rewrite the problem in vertical format.

Next, separate the factors.

Then, identify and cancel similar factors.

Finally, simplify to get the answer.

#### Example 3

Simplify .

First, separate the factors.

Next, identify and cancel similar factors.

Finally, simplify to get the answer.

Remember Laine who’s decorating the patio by gluing tiles on a rectangular wall 20 tiles tall (long) and 30 tiles wide? Each tile is a square with side . Since the area of a rectangle is length times width, the total area is .

Laine needs to know what the total area is to be tiled in simplified form. So he will need to multiply 20s by 30s.

First, multiply the numbers.

Next, multiply the variables.

### Explore More

Simplify each product or quotient.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

### Vocabulary Language: English

Associative property

Associative property

The associative property states that the order in which three or more values are grouped for multiplication or addition will not affect the product or sum. For example: $(a+b) + c = a + (b+c) \text{ and\,} (ab)c = a(bc)$.
Commutative Property

Commutative Property

The commutative property states that the order in which two numbers are added or multiplied does not affect the sum or product. For example $a+b=b+a \text{ and\,} (a)(b)=(b)(a)$.
Expression

Expression

An expression is a mathematical phrase containing variables, operations and/or numbers. Expressions do not include comparative operators such as equal signs or inequality symbols.
Product

Product

The product is the result after two amounts have been multiplied.
Simplify

Simplify

To simplify means to rewrite an expression to make it as "simple" as possible. You can simplify by removing parentheses, combining like terms, or reducing fractions.

Show Hide Details
Description
Difficulty Level:
Authors:
Tags:
Subjects:
Search Keywords:

## Concept Nodes:

Date Created:
Dec 02, 2015
Mar 23, 2016
Save or share your relevant files like activites, homework and worksheet.
To add resources, you must be the owner of the Modality. Click Customize to make your own copy.
Reviews
Help us create better content by rating and reviewing this modality.