Identifying like terms is easy. Look for terms that have the same collection of letters, with the same exponent (or power) next to them. It is useful to know how to check for like terms: Check that the same variables (letters) appear in each of the terms. Check that the exponent of each variable is the same in each of the terms.

If the terms of an algebraic expression have the same variable with the same exponent power then, the terms are like terms. For example, we have two terms in an algebraic expression =>6xy+12xy Here, both the terms 6xy and 12xy have the same variable ‘xy’ and exponent power 1. Hence, the terms can be combined together to get a solution.

Like terms are the terms that have the same variables and the power of each of the variables is also the same. We can combine like terms to simplify the algebraic expressions, and this can be calculated very easily. For example, 3y + 5y is an algebraic expression with like terms 3y and 5y.

Like terms can be defined as terms that contain the same variables raised to the same power. Only the numerical coefficients are different. In an expression, only we can combine like terms. We combine like terms to short and simplify the algebraic expressions, so we can work with them more easily.