Question

Shannon says the two expressions below are equivalent. Is she correct? Explain why or why not?

2(3a-2) + 4a and 10a-2

Answer 1

Hi there! Shannon is incorrect.

To find out whether she is correct, we must get rid of the parentheses.
2 (3a - 2) + 4a =
2 × 3a - 2 × 2 + 4a =
6a - 4 + 4a =
10a - 4

Shannon says 2(3a-2) + 4a and 10a-2 are equivalent, but when we work out the parentheses we can see a different outcome. Therefore, Shannon is incorrect.