A term can be a number, a variable, or a combination of both. They can also be either positive or negative.

You may have heard of an expression, and you may have heard of an equation. These are two commonly mixed up phrases, so what is the difference between the two?

An expression can be a mix of constants (numbers) and variables with operations done onto them.

*Note : an expression can consist of one term

An equation "equates" two expressions to each other. Simply put, there is an equal sign in between.

Why is it important to make a distinction between expressions and equations?

The important thing to know is that expressions eventually simplify to one value. Equations are a way to see if two different looking expressions equal the same value. Think of them as a fact checker, equations can be true or false.