Consider an example here: 6(2+4x)
The two values inside the parenthesis cannot be added since they are not like terms, therefore it cannot be simplified any further. We need a different method and this is where Distributive Property can be applied.
If you apply Distributive Property,
6× 2 + 6 × 4x
The parenthesis no longer exists and every term is multiplied by 6.
Now, you can simplify the multiplication for individual terms.
12 + 24x
The distributive property of multiplication lets you simplify expressions wherein you multiply a number by a sum or difference. According to this property, the product of a sum or difference of a number is equal to the sum or difference of the products. In algebra, we can have the distributive property for two arithmetic operations such as:
- Distributive Property of Multiplication
- Distributive Property of Division
Here, we will discuss the most frequently used distributive property of multiplication over addition in detail.
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