The Building Blocks of Algebra
Think of pronumerals (also called variables) as mystery boxes that can hold different numbers - they're just letters like x, y, or z that stand in for unknown values. When you see AB, it means A × B, and A/B means A ÷ B. If you see A², that's just A × A written in a shorter way.
An expression is like a mathematical sentence that mixes numbers and letters with operations - for example, 3x + 2yz. Each separate part of an expression is called a term, like 9a or 10cd, which only uses multiplication, division, numbers, and letters.
The coefficient is the number that sits in front of a letter, telling you how many of that variable you have. In 4x + y - 4z, the coefficient of x is 4, y is 1 (even though you can't see it), and z is -4 (because it's being subtracted).
Quick Tip: If there's no number in front of a letter, the coefficient is always 1 - it's just invisible! A constant term is any number that stands alone without variables.
