Distributive Property of Multiplication

The Distributive Property states that a(b + c) = ab + ac. It allows you to multiply a number by a sum by distributing the multiplication to each addend.

You can express it as 4 x (5 + 1) = 4 x 6.

To 'distribute' means to multiply each addend in a sum by a number outside the parentheses.

You can write it as 4 x (5 + 2) = (4 x 5) + (4 x 2).

An example is 3 x (5 + 2) = (3 x 5) + (3 x 2) = 15 + 6 = 21.

You can check your work by calculating both sides of the equation to see if they are equal.

The result is 5 x (4 + 3) = 5 x 7 = 35.

You can factor out the 2, so it becomes 2 x (3 + 5) = 2 x 8 = 16.

The first step is to identify the number outside the parentheses and the numbers inside the parentheses.

Yes, you can use it with subtraction, for example, a(b - c) = ab - ac.