• Algebraic Expression
  An algebraic expression is a mathematical phrase that can contain ordinary numbers, variables (like x or y) and operators (like add,subtract,multiply, and divide).
  Here are some algebraic expressions:
  
  a + 1
  
  a - b
  
  3x
  
  x - a / b
  
  In the above expression the "/" means divide. The "3x" means multiply the variable x by 3.
  
  Many english phrases translate directly into algebraic expressions, as shown in the following table (where x stands for "a number"):
  
  

  English expression	Algebraic expression
  A number plus eight	x + 8
  four less than a number	x - 4
  half of a number	x / 2

  
  
  If you set an algebraic expression equal to something, with an equal sign, you now have an equation, like: X - 4 = 10
  To learn more about expressions, see the notes on expressions.

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