-2(m + 4) = 40 The first step is to use the distributive property to clear the parenthesis -2 * m + -2* 4 = 40 -2m - 8 = 40 next, to isolate the variable, add 8 to both sides -2m - 8 + 8 = 40 + 8 -2m = 48 the last step is to get rid of the multiplication by -2 we will divide by -2 (-2m)/-2 = 48/-2 m = -24
