Question

Use properties of operations to determine whether 4r + 4t and 4(r+t) are equivalent. Explain your answer.

Answer 1

There is only one property used to determine whether

$4r+4t=4(r+t)$.

The property is called the distributive property and in a nutshell it states, $a(b+c)=ab+ac$, which means $a$ is distributed through $b+c$ using multiplication. So $4(r+t)$ says, distribute $4$ to $r$ and $t$ which then translates into $4r+4t$.