Distribution and Factoring

Front

What is distribution in mathematics?

Back

Distribution is a property that allows you to multiply a single term by each term inside a set of parentheses. For example, in the expression a(b + c), you can distribute a to get ab + ac.

Front

What does it mean to factor an expression?

Back

Factoring an expression means rewriting it as a product of its factors. For example, factoring 6x + 9 gives you 3(2x + 3).

Front

What is the distributive property formula?

Back

The distributive property formula is a(b + c) = ab + ac.

Front

How do you factor out the greatest common factor (GCF)?

Back

To factor out the GCF, identify the largest number that divides all terms in the expression and rewrite the expression as the GCF multiplied by the remaining terms.

Front

What is the GCF of 12 and 16?

Back

The GCF of 12 and 16 is 4.

Front

If you have the expression 5(x + 2), what is the distributed form?

Back

The distributed form is 5x + 10.

Front

What is the result of factoring 10x + 15?

Back

The result of factoring 10x + 15 is 5(2x + 3).

Front

What does it mean to expand an expression?

Back

Expanding an expression means to multiply out the terms and remove parentheses. For example, expanding 3(x + 4) gives you 3x + 12.

Front

What is the result of expanding 2(3y + 5)?

Back

The result of expanding 2(3y + 5) is 6y + 10.

Front

How do you factor the expression x^2 - 9?

Back

You can factor x^2 - 9 as (x - 3)(x + 3) because it is a difference of squares.