ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Algebraic expression

An algebraic expression is when we use numbers, letters, and different signs like "+" or "-" to show what we want to do in math. It's like a puzzle or a code that we need to solve to find out what the answer or value is.

We use letters like "x" or "y" to represent an unknown or variable number, and numbers like "2" or "7" to represent a known value. We can also use signs like "+" or "-" to add, subtract, multiply or divide numbers and letters.

For example, if we have the expression "3x+5," we can tell that we need to multiply the variable "x" by 3 and then add 5 to get the answer or value. So, if we substitute "x" with the value of 2, we can solve the expression by doing 3 x 2 + 5 = 11.

Algebraic expressions help us understand complicated problems in math and solve them using simple steps.