Question

All of the following statements correctly use the distributive property except _____.

5(12 - 6) = 5(12) + 5(6)
-4(17 + 6) = -4(17) + (-4)(6)
-3(9 - 2) = -3(9) - (-3)(2)
7(13 + 2) = 7(13) + 7(2)

Answer 1

For this case we have:

By definition, the distributive property establishes:

`a (b + c) = ab + ac`

In addition, the law of signs states:

`+ * + = +\\+ * - = -\\- * + = -\\- * - = +`

Having said that, we tried each option:

`A) 5 (12 - 6) = (5) (12) - (5) (6)\\B) -4 (17 + 6) = (-4) (17) + (- 4) (6)\\C) -3 (9 - 2) = (- 3) (9) - (- 3) (2)\\D) 7 (13 + 2) = (7) (13) + (7) (2)`

It is observed that when comparing the results with those of the options given, the error is in option A.

Answer:

Option A