Distributive Property

The distributive property is a fundamental rule in math that explains how to multiply a number by a sum. It states that multiplying a number by a sum is the same as multiplying that number by each addend separately, then adding the results. In symbols, it’s expressed as a × (b + c) = a×b + a×c. For example, if you have 3 × (4 + 2), you can distribute the 3 to get (3 × 4) + (3 × 2), which equals 12 + 6, totaling 18. This property helps simplify calculations and solve algebraic expressions efficiently.