Question
What is the difference between questions that ask you to simplify versus those that ask you to evaluate? (Communication 2 marks
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The difference between questions that ask you to "simplify" and those that ask you to "evaluate" lies in their objectives:
1. **Simplify**: When a question asks you to simplify, it typically requests you to reduce an expression to its simplest form. This may involve combining like terms, factoring expressions, or removing parentheses, and the result is usually an equivalent expression that is easier to work with or understand.
2. **Evaluate**: In contrast, when a question asks you to evaluate, it requires you to compute a numerical value based on the given expression or equation, often by substituting specific values for variables. The result is a specific number rather than a simplified expression.
In summary, simplifying focuses on rewriting expressions in a more concise form, while evaluating involves finding a numerical result from an expression.
1. **Simplify**: When a question asks you to simplify, it typically requests you to reduce an expression to its simplest form. This may involve combining like terms, factoring expressions, or removing parentheses, and the result is usually an equivalent expression that is easier to work with or understand.
2. **Evaluate**: In contrast, when a question asks you to evaluate, it requires you to compute a numerical value based on the given expression or equation, often by substituting specific values for variables. The result is a specific number rather than a simplified expression.
In summary, simplifying focuses on rewriting expressions in a more concise form, while evaluating involves finding a numerical result from an expression.