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Simplify Expression

Combine like terms and reduce an algebraic expression to its simplest canonical polynomial form, e.g. 2x + 3x − 4 + 1 becomes 5x − 3.

Enter an algebraic expression in one variable to combine like terms.

Enter an expression above to simplify it.

About this tool

The Simplify Expression tool takes a single-variable algebraic expression and reduces it to its simplest canonical form by distributing products, expanding powers, and collecting like terms. It parses the input into a polynomial, so 3(x + 2) − 2x + 5 is multiplied out and combined into x + 11, with terms ordered by descending degree. Constant folding, sign normalization, and coefficient reduction are all applied automatically.

Because the expression is represented internally as a polynomial with exact rational coefficients (each stored as a reduced fraction), the result is precise — there is no floating-point drift even when coefficients like 1/3 or 5/6 appear. When the simplified polynomial shares a common numeric factor or a common power of the variable, the tool also offers a greatest-common-factor form, for example 6x² + 9x → 3x(2x + 3).

All parsing and simplification happen locally in your browser with an eval-free parser, so nothing you type leaves the page. Enter an expression such as '3(x+2) - 2x + 5' and read the simplified standard form, an optional factored form, and the term count and degree.

Frequently asked questions

What does 'simplify' do here?
It distributes every product and power, then collects like terms so each power of the variable appears once, ordered from highest to lowest degree. For example 2(x − 1) + 3x + 4 simplifies to 5x + 2.
Does it keep exact fractions?
Yes. Coefficients are stored as reduced fractions using the Euclidean algorithm, so an expression like (1/2)x + (1/3)x simplifies exactly to (5/6)x with no rounding error.
Will it also factor the result?
When the simplified polynomial has a common numeric factor or a common power of the variable, a greatest-common-factor form is shown too — for instance 4x² + 8x is also given as 4x(x + 2).
Which expressions are accepted?
Single-variable polynomial expressions using +, −, ×, powers, parentheses, and division by constants. Division by the variable or multi-variable and transcendental terms are outside the polynomial model and are reported as invalid.

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