A term is any number, variable or combination of a number and a variable in an equation.
Examples:
In 2x + 5y + 8, 2x is one term, 5y is a second term and 8 is a 3rd term.
In the equation 2x + 3 + 5x -2
Combine the like terms 2x and 5x are like terms because they both have x as a variable, there is a plus sign in fron of the 5x, so you would have 2x +5x = 7x
Then 3 and 3 are like terms, because they are just numbers, there is a subtraction sign in front of the 2, so you have 3-2 = 1
The equation then becomes: 2x + 3 + 5x -2 : 7x + 1