Match Like Terms Game

Match Like Terms Game
This game is a fast-paced memory and logic game designed to train your eye to recognize algebraic “families” that are like terms. Scroll down the page for a more detailed explanation.
 

 

How to Play the Match Like Terms Game

1. The Goal
   Your objective is to clear the board by matching Like Terms. There are 12 cards total (6 pairs). When you click two cards that belong to the same algebraic family, they disappear. Clear all 6 pairs to win.
   
   
2. How to Identify a “Match”
   In Algebra, terms are “Like Terms” if they have the exact same variables (letters) raised to the exact same powers (exponents).
   Ignore the Coefficients: The numbers at the front (like 3, -7, or 8) don’t matter for matching. They just tell you “how many” of a variable you have.
   Focus on the Variables and Exponents:
   A Match: 5y² and y². Both have the variable y with the exponent 2.
   Not a Match: 3x and x²y. The letters and powers don’t align.
   The Constant Family: Plain numbers with no letters (like 9 and -12) are like terms because they are both just “constants."
   
   
3. Controls & Feedback Selection: Click a card to select it. It will turn Amber to show it’s active.
   Success: If the second card matches the first, they will both shrink and fade away.
   Failure: If they don’t match, the cards will shake red and then reset. You’ll need to remember where they were and try again.
   Reset: If you want a fresh board with new terms, click the Reset Board button.
   
   
4. Pro-Tips for Victory
   Look for the “families”: Think of x²y as a specific family. Even if one card says 8x²y and the other is just x²y, they are the same family.
   Powers Matter: m³ and m² are NOT like terms. The exponent must be identical.
   Sign Blindness: Whether a term is positive or negative (like 4ab and -2ab) does not change the fact that they are like terms.
    
   

The Anatomy of a Term
To spot like terms, you need to break a term into its two main parts:
The Coefficient: The number at the front. This tells you how many of the variable you have.
The Variable/Exponent Part: The letters and their powers. This is the term’s “last name."
The Golden Rule: Only the “last name” (variables and exponents) determines if terms are like terms. The coefficient does not matter

Examples of Like Terms
These pairs can be added or subtracted together because they are in the same family:
3x and 7x: Both have the variable x¹.
5y² and -2y²: Both have the variable y raised to the power of 2.
ab and 10ab: Both have the variable combination ab. (Note: ab is the same as 1ab).
4 and -12: These are called constants. Since neither has a variable, they are always “like terms” to each other.

Examples of Unlike Terms
These cannot be combined because their “last names” are different:
2x and 2y: Different variables (x vs y).
5x and 5x²: Same variable, but different exponents (x¹ vs x²).
xy² and x²y: The exponents are on different letters, so they aren’t an exact match.

Why Like Terms Matter: Combining
The reason we identify like terms is so we can simplify expressions. You can only add or subtract terms if they are “like."
Imagine a basket of fruit:
3 Apples + 2 Oranges + 4 Apples
You combine the like terms (Apples) to get: 7 Apples + 2 Oranges.
In algebra:
3x + 2y + 4x = 7x + 2y
Notice that we added the coefficients (3 + 4 = 7) but kept the variable (x) exactly the same.
 

The video gives a clear, step-by-step approach to learn like terms.

• Show Video

 

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