It is important to combine like terms so that you are dealing with the simplest form of the expression or equation. This makes the expression or equation simpler to work with and shorter to read.

This video is brought to you by Brightstorm, where you can see over 2,000 free math videos. See more Pre-Algebra videos at Brightstorm.

The standard form of a line puts the x and y terms on the left hand side of the equation, makes the coefficient of the x-term positive, and puts everything else on the right side. The standard form is not used for graphing. In that case you would use the slope-intercept form.

This video is brought to you by Brightstorm, where you can see over 2,000 free math videos. See more Graphs of Linear Equations videos at Brightstorm.

Click here to sign up for 24/7 SAT test prep!