Alisa S. answered • 09/24/12
Tutor
4.9
(50)
K-12, and American Sign Language Tutor
This is a great example of distributive property in action!
First, let's rewrite the problem as an addition instead of a subtraction so it's easier to see all the negative numbers:
(8+-3x)(-2)
For this problem, you would distribute the -2 to both the 8 and the -3x:
-2 * 8 + -2*-3x= -16+6x (Since -2*8= -16 and -2*-3=6)
Now, let's look at the possible solutions. There is no exact copy of our answer, but 6x-16 is the same as our solution of -16+6x, so the answer is d.
Alisa S.
This problem is particularly tricky because it's a matter of watching where your negative signs are going and then flipping the answer around at the end. For future problems, just make sure that the signs stay with the numbers they're connected to when you move the problem around at the end.
09/24/12