SweetHaven Pre-Algebra Prime, Version 4.1

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Chapter 6—Expressions and Equations
6-4 Using the Distributive Property

When you complete the work for this section, you should be able to:

Describe the distributive property for multiplication and addition.
Demonstrate how to use the distributive property

Distributive Property — What It Is, How to Use It.

Definition

The distributive property shows the relationship between the product of one term times the sum of two terms, a(b + c).
a(b + c) = ab + ac

where a, b, and c are real numbers.

The distributive property applies to expressions such as 3(5x + y). To apply the property, simply multiply the outside factor, 3, times each of the inside terms, 5x and y. The result is 3(5x + y) = 15x + 3y.

Procedure

Step 1: Multiply the outside factor by the first inside term.

Step 2: Multiply the outside factor by the second inside term.

Step 3: Combine the results.

Examples:

Examples and Exercises

Use these interactive examples and exercises to strengthen your understanding and build your skills. Continue working the problems until you can do them consistently without error.:

Author: David L. Heiserman
Publisher: SweetHaven Publishing Services