-6(a+8) distributive property simplify expression

Question

-6(a+8) need to know how to work this problem out

 

Answer 1

Hi Holly,

The distributive property states that when you multiply one factor by a polynomial, the factor must be multiplied by every term in the polynomial separately. In your example, you're multiplying -6 by the polynomial (a+8). The distributive property states that you must multiply -6 by each term (a and 8) separately.

-6(a+8) = (-6*a) + (-6*8) = (-6a) + (-48) = -6a - 48

Many people benefit from drawing arrows to indicate what gets multiplied. In this example, you would draw an arrow from the -6 to the a and another arrow from the -6 to the 8.

I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any further questions.