Back to Identify when two expressions are equivalent — Problem 4 · Task Set 29

6.EE.A.4 Tutor Intake -- Identifying Equivalent Expressions

This short check helps your tutor see where to start. Work each problem on
your own, without a calculator unless a problem says otherwise. If you are
not sure, give your best try — every answer helps your tutor plan your
first few sessions.

Grade 6·10 problems·~11 min·Common Core Math - Grade 6·standard·6-ee-a-4

Work through problems with immediate feedback

Concepts

A student says $3x + 5$ and $3(x + 5)$ are equivalent because
"they both have the same numbers, 3, x, and 5." Is the student
correct?

No — testing $x = 1$ gives $8$ for the first expression and $18$ for the second, so they are not equivalent.

Yes — since they use the same numbers and the same variable, they must be equivalent.

Yes — both expressions simplify to the same value for any $x$ because they contain identical parts.

No — they cannot be equivalent because one expression uses parentheses and the other does not.