A fork of Rural Dictionary
Acronym for "Combine LIke Terms." A process used in mathematics to solve for an unknown in an algebraic equation.
In order to solve the equation 2X +1 = 4X - 7, combine the constants ("like" terms) by adding 7 to both sides of the equation to give 2X + 8 = 4X, Then combine the unknown variables, that is, the first-order X-terms (like terms) and their coefficients by subtracting 2X from both sides of the equation to give 2X = 8. Dividing both sides by 2 gives X = 4. The CLIT process can be used to solve more complex equations including but not limited to the quadratic solution derivation for second-order polynomials and the derivation of the Pythagorean theorem using similar triangles, the latter also providing the reason why the product of the means equals the product of the extremes.