Common Algebra Mistakes & How to Avoid Them. : āĻŦā§€āϜāĻ—āĻŖāĻŋāϤāϤ āϏāĻžāϧāĻžā§°āĻŖ āϭ⧁āϞ āφ⧰⧁ āϏ⧇āχāĻŦā§‹ā§° āϕ⧇āύ⧇āĻ•ā§ˆ āĻā§°āĻžāĻŦ











1. Distributing Properly (āϏāĻ āĻŋāĻ•āĻ­āĻžā§ąā§‡ āĻŦāĻŋāϤ⧰āĻŖ āϕ⧰āĻž)



  • Wrong (āϭ⧁āϞ): 2(x+3) = 2x + 3

  • Correct (āĻļ⧁āĻĻā§āϧ): 2(x+3) = 2x + 6


Note: Distribute the 2 to both terms inside the parentheses. (āĻŦā§ā§°ā§‡āϕ⧇āϟ⧰ āĻ­āĻŋāϤ⧰⧰ āĻĻ⧁āϝāĻŧā§‹āϟāĻž āĻĒāĻĻāϞ⧈ ⧍-ā§° āϗ⧁āĻŖ āϕ⧰āĻ•āĨ¤)


2. Distributing Negative Signs (āĻ‹āĻŖāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ• āϚāĻŋāĻšā§āύ⧰ āĻŦāĻŋāϤ⧰āĻŖ)

  • Wrong (āϭ⧁āϞ): − (x−5) = − x − 5

  • Correct (āĻļ⧁āĻĻā§āϧ): − (x−5) = − x + 5


Note: When a negative sign is outside the parentheses, change the sign of every term inside. (āĻŦā§ā§°ā§‡āϕ⧇āϟ⧰ āĻŦāĻžāĻšāĻŋā§°āϤ āĻ‹āĻŖāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ• āϚāĻŋāĻšā§āύ āĻĨāĻžāĻ•āĻŋāϞ⧇ āĻ­āĻŋāϤ⧰⧰ āĻĒā§ā§°āϤāĻŋāĻŸā§‹ āĻĒāĻĻā§° āϚāĻŋāĻšā§āύ āϏāϞāύāĻŋ āϕ⧰āĻŋāĻŦāĨ¤)


3. Negative Multiplication & Division  (āĻ‹āĻŖāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ• āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻžā§° āϗ⧁āĻŖ āφ⧰⧁ āĻ­āĻžāĻ—)

  • Wrong (āϭ⧁āϞ): −3 × (−2) = − 6

  • Correct (āĻļ⧁āĻĻā§āϧ): −3 × (−2) = 6


Rules / āύāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻŽ:



  • Positive × Positive = Positive → āϧāύāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ• × āϧāύāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ• = āϧāύāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ•

  • Positive × Negative = Negative → āϧāύāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ• × āĻ‹āĻŖāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ• = āĻ‹āĻŖāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ•

  • Negative × Positive = Negative → āĻ‹āĻŖāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ• × āϧāύāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ• = āĻ‹āĻŖāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ•

  • Negative × Negative = Positive → āĻ‹āĻŖāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ• × āĻ‹āĻŖāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ• = āϧāύāĻžāĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻ•


4. Combining Like Terms (āĻāϕ⧇ āϧ⧰āĻŖā§° āĻĒāĻĻ āĻāĻ•āĻ¤ā§ā§° āϕ⧰āĻž)

  • Wrong (āϭ⧁āϞ): 5x + 3y = 8xy

  • Correct (āĻļ⧁āĻĻā§āϧ): 5x + 3x = 8x 


Note: Only combine like terms (same variable and same exponent). āĻāϕ⧇āϧ⧰āĻŖā§° āĻĒāĻĻ (āĻāϕ⧇ āϚāϞāĻ• āφ⧰⧁ āĻāϕ⧇ āϏ⧂āϚāĻ•)āĻšā§‡ āĻāĻ•āĻ¤ā§ā§° āϕ⧰āĻŋāĻŦ āĻĒāĻžā§°āĻŋāĨ¤


5. Exponent Rules (āϏ⧂āϚāϕ⧰ āύāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻŽ)

  • Wrong (āϭ⧁āϞ): x3 × x2 = x6 

  • Correct (āĻļ⧁āĻĻā§āϧ): x3 × x2 = x5 


Note: When multiplying powers with the same base, add the exponents. āĻāϕ⧇ āĻ­āĻŋāĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋā§° āϘāĻžāϤ āϗ⧁āĻŖ āϕ⧰āĻŋāϞ⧇ āϏ⧂āϚāĻ•āϏāĻŽā§‚āĻš āϝ⧋āĻ— āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤


6. Zero Rule (āĻļā§‚āĻ¨ā§āϝ āϏ⧂āϚāϕ⧰ āύāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻŽ)

  • Wrong (āϭ⧁āϞ): x0 = x 

  • Correct (āĻļ⧁āĻĻā§āϧ): x0 = 1


Note: Any non-zero number raised to the power 0 equals 1. āϝāĻŋāϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻ…āĻļā§‚āĻ¨ā§āϝ āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻžā§° āĻļā§‚āĻ¨ā§āϝ āϘāĻžāϤ⧰ āĻŽāĻžāύ āϏāĻĻāĻžāϝāĻŧ ā§§ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤










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