Terms of a sum

Before stating the properties of operations, it is worth fixing a name for the “ingredients” of a sum.

Definition — Terms

The terms of a sum are the elements (single numbers or groups joined by brackets or by operations with precedence) that make up an algebraic sum.

Example

In the expression $3 + (2+5) + 3\cdot 4$ there are three terms:

1. $3$
2. $(2+5)$
3. $3\cdot 4$

Recognising the terms is the first step towards correctly applying the commutative and associative properties.

Links

Topics: Numbers and operations
Concepts: Numerical expression · Term