Question

a fabric store sells pieces of material for $5 each Ali bought two white pieces and 8 blue pieces she also bought a pack of buttons for $3 the expression 5 x parentheses 2 + 8 parentheses + 3 gives the cost in dollars of a lease purchase how can you describe the term parentheses 2 + 8 parentheses in words

Answer 1

The term (2 + 8) is described as the total amount of pieces of fabric. It makes it easier to put this term this way so you wouldn't have to do (8 x 5) + (2 x 5) and do the distributive property.

Answer 2

The expression in the parenthesis refers to the first pieces Ali bought for $5, the second term +3 refers to the cost of the pack of buttons.

Basically, 2+8 is grouped in a parenthesis because both have the same cost of $5, so in this case we can use the distributive property. So, that of the expression just represents that, the same cost for the first 2 whit pieces and 8 blue pieces.

The last term +3 is not included in the parenthesis because it refer to a pack of buttons that has a different costs, it would be an error to include it inside the parenthesis.