3v-v (combining like terms)

Question

 I need help with combining like terms!

Answer 1

Here's one way I explain this to my students:     You have 3 bags of candy all with the same number of pieces (you just don't know how many, but each bag has the same number).  Now we remove or take away one of the bags.    So you have 3v - v = 2v        There are two bags remaining.  Whatever the number of candy pieces in each bag, multiplied by 2 is the total number of pieces you have.