Question

-20a -8 + 12b is ? what is the answer?

Answer 1

Answer:

4(-5a + 3b - 2)

Step-by-step explanation:

Aside from changing the order of the terms so that the "a" term comes first and the "b" term second, there's nothing you can do with this expression -20a -8 + 12b.  But notice that 4 is a factor common to all three terms, and therefore it can be factored out:

Rearranging the terms, we get

-20a + 12b - 8  =  4(-5a + 3b - 2)