Question

Explain how you know whether to add or subtract when you use the distributive property to multiply?

Answer 1

Answer: You must see if it is a distributive property of multiplication over addition or a distributive property of multiplication over subtration.

Step-by-step explanation:

You can find two kind of expressions in this property:

- Distributive property of multiplication over addition: When you mulitply a sum by a number. For example:

$a(b+c)=ab+ac$

-  Distributive property of multiplication over subtration: When you mulitply a subtration expression by a number. For example:

$a(b-c)=ab-ac$

Answer 2

Answer:

Distributive property is only for multiplication of two or more terms

Step-by-step explanation:

Distributive property:

It is an algebra property which is used to multiply a single term and two or more terms

So, distributive property is for multiplication only

For example:

For two terms:

$a(b+c)=a\times b +a\times c$

For more than two terms:

$a(b+c+d)=a\times b +a\times c+a\times d$

Suppose, we want to multiply

7 with (9+3)

then we can use distributive property

$7(9+3)=7\times 9 +7\times 3$

$7(9+3)=63+21$

$7(9+3)=84$

We can verify it

$7(9+3)=7\times (12)$

$7(9+3)=84$

So, distributive property is only for multiplication of two or more terms