Jose combined the like terms in the expression. Marc claims that he made a mistake. Jose's Work negative 8 x squared y minus 17 x y squared plus 12 x y minus 8 plus 5 x squared y minus x y squared minus 12 x y is equal to negative 3 x squared y minus 18 x y squared plus 24 x y minus 8 Jose asks Marc to explain how to fix his error. Which is the best explanation that Marc can give Jose?
Answer
A
Jose, you should have added negative 8 and the two 12 s for the x y terms.
B
Jose, you should have added 12 and negative 12 for the x y terms.
C
Jose, you should have added negative 8 and negative 5 for the for the x squared y terms.
D
Jose, you should have added negative 17 and 1 for the x y squared terms.
Explanation
The x y terms are +12xy and −12xy, so their coefficients add to 12 + (−12) = 0. They cancel out; they do not make +24xy. The corrected expression is −3x²y − 18xy² − 8, so Marc should tell Jose to add 12 and −12 for the x y terms.
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