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Many students think you can combine any terms with variables…but that’s not true! ❌

For example:
3x + 2y
❌ 5xy�
✅ 3x + 2y

You can only combine like terms—terms that have the same variable and the same exponent.

For example:
3x +2x = 5x ✅

💡 Remember:�Different variables cannot be combined!

Understanding like terms makes simplifying algebraic expressions much easier. 📚✨

Monday Mathness: Summer edition! ☀️📐

How many degrees does it feel like outside to you? 👀👇

Many students try to cancel numbers when they are being added or subtracted… but cancellation only works with multiplication! ❌

Example:
(x + 5) / 5 = x
❌ You cannot cancel the 5 because it is being added to x.

But:
(5x) / 5 = x
✅ The 5s can cancel because they are being multiplied.

💡 Remember:�You can only cancel factors (things being multiplied), not terms (things being added or subtracted).

Understanding this rule will make simplifying algebraic expressions much easier! 📚✨

Need a little extra help? Ask Me Math offers personalized online tutoring for Grades 4–12 and undergraduate math through Zoom. We’ll help you build confidence and make math make sense! 💙

Time for some Monday Mathness! A joke that’s rooted in math… literally. 🌱

Many students forget that dividing an inequality by a negative number changes the direction of the sign. ❌

Example:
-2x > 6

Divide both sides by -2:
❌ x > -3
�✅ x < -3

💡 Remember:�When you divide OR multiply (yes, this applies to multiplication too!) both sides of an inequality by a negative number, flip the inequality sign! 🔄 This is because multiplying or dividing by a negative reverses the order of the numbers, so the inequality sign must flip to stay true. ✅

This small step can completely change your answer, so always watch out for negatives. 📚✨

Happy BC Day from Ask Me Math! 💙

Today we’re celebrating the people and places that make British Columbia feel like home — the friends, families, neighbours, and communities that bring us together, as well as the incredible landscapes that surround us.

From our mountains and forests to our oceans and vibrant cities, we’re grateful to be part of such a diverse and beautiful province! Wishing everyone a wonderful BC Day filled with connection, appreciation, and moments to enjoy this special place we get to call home 🌿✨

Many students think taking the square root of a squared number always gives the original number back, but that’s not always true! ❌

For positive numbers, it works as expected:
The square root of 5 squared is 5. ✅

But with negative numbers, it changes:
The square root of negative 5 squared is 5, not negative 5. ❌

Why? Because squaring a number removes the negative sign. Both 5 times 5 and negative 5 times negative 5 equal 25, so the square root gives the positive value.

💡 Remember: The answer is always the absolute value of the number. Absolute value means the distance a number is from zero on a number line, so it is always positive or zero.

Bonus note: 👀
By Grade 11, you’ll often see equations like: x² = 25
Teachers will expect you to answer: x = ±5

This is because you’re solving for both possible values, not just taking the principal square root.

Small details like this can make a big difference in algebra! 📚✨

That moment when you confidently solve the problem… then stare at the choices like 🤨 “Wait… where is my answer?”

Tag someone who always gets a different answer than everyone else 😆

Need help making sense of tricky math problems? Ask Me Math offers personalized online tutoring for Grades 4–12 and undergraduate math to help you build confidence, strengthen your skills, and make math finally click.

📚 Learn more with Ask Me Math!