Answer:
-4x - 10
Explanation:
The properties of equality allow us to simplify algebraic expressions.
Distributive Property
In order to simplify the expression, the first thing we need to do is simplify the parentheses. One of the properties of equality is the distributive property. The distributive property states that we can multiply each term inside the parentheses individually. This means that:
- -4(x+1) = (-4 * x) + (-4 * 1)
- -4(x+1) = -4x - 4
So, we can rewrite the expression as -4x - 4 - 6.
Combining Like Terms
The next step in simplifying the expression is combining like terms. Like terms are terms that contain the same variable to the same power. By this definition, all constants are like terms. So, we can combine -4 and -6 in order to rewrite the equation.
The fully simplified expression is -4x - 10. This expression can also be factored into the form -2(2x + 5).