Chapter 1: Problem 49
Perform the indicated operations and simplify. $$(2 x-5)\left(x^{2}-x+1\right)$$
Short Answer
Expert verified
The simplified result is \(2x^3 - 7x^2 + 7x - 5\).
Step by step solution
01
Distribute the first term
Start by distributing the first term, \(2x\), across the expression inside the parentheses. Multiply \(2x\) by each term in \(x^2 - x + 1\). This results in \(2x \cdot x^2 - 2x \cdot x + 2x \cdot 1\), which simplifies to \(2x^3 - 2x^2 + 2x\).
02
Distribute the second term
Next, distribute the second term, \(-5\), across the expression inside the parentheses. Multiply \(-5\) by each term in \(x^2 - x + 1\). This results in \(-5 \cdot x^2 + 5 \cdot x - 5 \cdot 1\), which simplifies to \(-5x^2 + 5x - 5\).
03
Combine like terms
Now, combine the results from the previous steps: \(2x^3 - 2x^2 + 2x - 5x^2 + 5x - 5\). Group the like terms together: \(2x^3 + (-2x^2 - 5x^2) + (2x + 5x) - 5\), which simplifies to \(2x^3 - 7x^2 + 7x - 5\).
04
Write the simplified expression
The expression is now fully simplified. After combining all like terms, we have the final simplified expression: \(2x^3 - 7x^2 + 7x - 5\).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Distributive Property
The distributive property is a fundamental concept in algebra that allows you to multiply a single term by each term inside a parenthesis. It’s like spreading a multiplying factor across each part of the expression. In this problem, we have two separate applications of the distributive property:
- First Application: The initial task is to distribute the term \(2x\) to each term inside the parentheses \((x^2 - x + 1)\). Think of it as a mini multiplication for each term:
- Multiply \(2x\) by \(x^2\) to get \(2x^3\).
- Multiply \(2x\) by \(-x\) to get \(-2x^2\).
- Multiply \(2x\) by \(1\) to get \(2x\).
- Second Application: After distributing \(-5\) in the same manner:
- Multiply \(-5\) by \(x^2\) to get \(-5x^2\).
- Multiply \(-5\) by \(-x\) to get \(5x\).
- Multiply \(-5\) by \(1\) to get \(-5\).
Combining Like Terms
Combining like terms is an essential skill that helps simplify expressions by uniting terms with the same variable part. Think of it as collecting similar items in a group. After distributing, we have the expression: \(2x^3 - 2x^2 + 2x - 5x^2 + 5x - 5\).
Here’s how we combine like terms in this equation:
Here’s how we combine like terms in this equation:
- Identify Like Terms: Look for terms with identical variable parts. In this case:
- \(x^3\) term: \(2x^3\)
- \(x^2\) terms: \(-2x^2\) and \(-5x^2\)
- \(x\) terms: \(2x\) and \(5x\)
- Constant terms: \(-5\)
- Combine the Terms:
- Combine the \(x^2\) terms: \(-2x^2 + (-5x^2) = -7x^2\)
- Combine the \(x\) terms: \(2x + 5x = 7x\)
Simplifying Expressions
Simplifying expressions is about making complex equations less cluttered and more straightforward. The end goal is to write an expression in its simplest form, just like solving a puzzle until you have the simplest picture.
When simplifying an expression, here's the approach:
When simplifying an expression, here's the approach:
- Step 1: Use the distributive property to expand any multiplication over addition or subtraction, as we did earlier.
- Step 2: Identify and combine like terms. This involves looking for similar variables and powers, uniting them to simplify the equation.
- Step 3: Arrange the expression neatly, often with terms organized from highest to lowest powers for clarity.