Combining Like Terms

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Hook

Apples and oranges

If you have 3 apples and someone gives you 2 more apples, you have 5 apples. But if they give you 2 oranges, you can't combine them into "5 appleoranges." You have 3 apples and 2 oranges — separate groups.

In algebra, variables work the same way. You can only combine "like" things.