The expression 7ab - 4 is simplified by distributing 7 to both a and b. The result, 7ab - 4, represents the simplest form of the expression.
To simplify the expression 7ab - 4, we apply the distributive property, which states that a number outside the parentheses can be multiplied to each term inside the parentheses. In this case, we distribute the 7 to both a and b:
7ab - 4
This simplifies to 7 * a * b - 4. Now, the expression is in its simplest form as the terms inside the parentheses cannot be further combined.
In summary, the simplified expression is 7ab - 4, and it cannot be further simplified as the terms are already multiplied together.