AI Tutor
If you look at the expression 5x2−3x(y+4)+85x^2 - 3x(y + 4) + 8, is 33 a term, a factor, or a coefficient?
Telling these three pieces apart is like learning the grammar of algebra — once you see the structure, reading complex formulas becomes second nature.

The Three Building Blocks

A term is a single number, variable, or product of numbers and variables separated from other terms by addition (++) or subtraction (−-) signs.
A factor is any value or expression being multiplied inside a term, while a coefficient is specifically the numerical factor multiplying the variables.
What happens when negative signs or multiple variables show up in the same expression?

Breaking Down an Expression

Let's classify every single part of the expression 6x2−5xy+96x^2 - 5xy + 9.
Because subtraction is the same as adding a negative, the three distinct terms are 6x26x^2, −5xy-5xy, and the constant term 99.
In the term −5xy-5xy, the factors are −5-5, xx, and yy, where −5-5 serves as the coefficient.
What if part of an expression is trapped inside parentheses?