Question

Apply the distributive property to factor out the greatest common factor. 56 + 32 =

Answer 1

Answer:

8 * (7 + 4)

See process below

Step-by-step explanation:

We start by writing each number in PRIME factor form:

56 = 2 * 2 * 2 * 7

32 = 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2

Notice that the factors that are common to BOTH numbers are 2 * 2 * 2 (the product of three factors of 2).Therefore we see that the greatest common factor for the given numbers is : 2 * 2 * 2 = 8

Using this, we can write the two numbers as the product of this common factor (8) times the factors that are left on each:

56 = 8 * 7

32 = 8 * 2 * 2 = 8 * 4

We can then use distributive property to "extract" that common factor (8) from the given addition as shown below:

56 + 32

8 * 7 + 8 * 4

8 * (7 + 4)

8 * (11)

88