text: what is the equation for simplifing an expression? ex:  (3m to the third power)(2m to the fifth power) to find a solution for an equation, we can use the basic rules of simplifying equations. these are as follows:   1) you may evaluate any parentheses, exponents, multiplications, divisions, additions, and subtractions in the usual order of operations. when evaluating expressions, be careful to use the associative and distributive properties properly.   2) you may combine like terms. this means adding or subtracting variables of the same kind. the expression 2x + 4x simplifies to 6x. the expression 13 - 7 + 3 simplifies to 9.   3) you may add any value to both sides of the equation.   4) you may subtract any value from both sides of the equation. this is best done by adding a negative value to each side of the equation.   5) you may multiply both sides of the equation by any number except 0.   6) you may divide both sides of the equation by any number except 0.   hint: since subtracting any number is the same as adding its negative, it can be helpful to replace subtractions with additions of a negative number.