Definition

Evaluating an Algebraic Expression

To evaluate an expression means to determine its numerical value by replacing each variable with a specific given number and then simplifying the result using the order of operations. The process involves two steps: first, substitute the assigned number in place of every occurrence of the variable in the expression; second, simplify the resulting numerical expression by performing all operations until a single value is obtained. For example, to evaluate 7x47x - 4 when x=5x = 5, substitute 55 for xx to get 7(5)47(5) - 4, then multiply to get 35435 - 4, and finally subtract to arrive at 3131.

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Updated 2026-05-02

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