Distributive property

Definition

The distributive property is a property of arithmetic that states how multiplication distributes over addition. It states that multiplying a sum by a number is the same as multiplying each of the terms in the sum by that number and then adding the products.

The distributive property can be expressed as:

a * (b + c) = a * b + a * c, where a, b, and c are any numbers.

The distributive property is a powerful tool in algebra and is used in a wide range of mathematical operations and applications. For example, it can be used to simplify and expand expressions, solve equations, and perform operations with polynomials.

The distributive property is often taught as one of the first properties of arithmetic, and it forms the basis for many of the concepts that students will encounter later on in their mathematical studies, such as factoring, simplifying expressions, and solving linear equations.