ACT Math : How to simplify an expression
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Example Question #1003 : Algebra
What is the simplified version of the expression:
Use PEMDAS to dictate which operation comes first. Simplify the parentheses:
Next come exponents:
After that comes multiplication and division left to right:
Finally, add all the terms together:
Example Question #104 : Expressions
The expression
can be rewritten as:
To simplify this problem, let’s look at each term individually. 
Example Question #105 : Expressions
The product of two consecutive odd negative integers is 
The problem gives us the product of two consecutive odd negative integers, so we know that one number is 
At this point, the more algebraically inclined student might recognize that if 
But this is the ACT, and the faster method by far is to simply recognize that if the product of our two integers is 
Example Question #5 : How To Solve One Step Equations
Suzanne is at the grocery store. She has $5.00 to spend on produce. Oranges are $2.50 per pound, apples cost $1.50 per pound and bananas are $0.50 per pound. Which combination of fruit will fit her budget?
2 pounds of oranges and 1 pound of apples
3 pounds of apples and 2 pounds of bananas
1 pound of oranges, 1.5 pounds of apples and 1.5 pounds of bananas
1 pound of oranges, 1 pound of apples and 2 pounds of bananas
1.5 pounds of oranges and 4 pounds of bananas
1 pound of oranges, 1 pound of apples and 2 pounds of bananas
Make a simple algebra equation and test it against each combination:
Total Cost = $2.50 * (# Oranges) + $1.50 * (# Apples) + $0.50 * (# Bananas)
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