SAT Math · Equivalent expressions · medium
In the expansion of (x+5)(2x-3), what is the coefficient of the x term?
In the expansion of , what is the coefficient of the term?
Answer and explanation
Answer: 7
Expand with FOIL: . The term is , so the coefficient is 7. The middle term comes from the two cross products: the outer product and the inner product . A common wrong answer is 13, from adding and ignoring the negative sign. Another is 2, the coefficient of , and a third is , which is the constant term. Be careful to combine the cross terms with their signs.
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