What is the first step in simplifying the expression 5 + 3(x + 2)?

Distribute the 3 to both x and 2 inside the parentheses.

Are 5y and 5x like terms? Explain why or why not.

No, they are not like terms because they have different variables.

I can simplify linear expressions by combining like terms.

1
When simplifying algebraic expressions with parentheses, always use the distributive property to remove the parentheses before combining like terms.
2
When using the distributive property, be sure to multiply the term outside the parentheses by each term inside the parentheses, paying attention to signs.
3
When writing simplified expressions, variable terms are typically written first, in order from greatest to least exponents, and then constant terms are written last.