Question

Which expression could Mary use if she was attempting to apply the distributive property to the expression below?

−10(7.1+12)

a) −10×7.1+10×12
b) −10×(7.1+12)
c) −10+7.1×12
d) −10×7.1×12

Answer 1

The correct expression for applying the distributive property to −10(7.1+12) is −10×7.1+10×12.

Step-by-step explanation:

When applying the distributive property to the expression −10(7.1+12), Mary would use expression (a) −10×7.1+10×12. This correctly applies the distributive property, which states that a(b + c) is the same as ab + ac. So, when distributing the −10 across the terms inside the parentheses, you multiply −10 by each term separately, and then sum the products.