Question

After using the distributive property, what will the constant be? -5(2x - 4).

A. 4
B. -4
C. -8
D. 10.

Answer 1

After using the distributive property on -5(2x - 4), the constant is +20. The correct constant does not match any of the provided options, suggesting an error in the question.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks about the use of the distributive property and identifies the constant in the expression -5(2x - 4). To distribute the -5, we multiply it by each term inside the parentheses. Let's apply this step by step:

1. Multiply -5 by 2x, getting -10x (this part contributes to the variable term, not the constant).
2. Multiply -5 by -4, noting that when two negative numbers multiply, the answer has a positive sign, resulting in +20.

Therefore, the constant in the expression after using the distributive property would be +20. So, this does not match with any of the provided options (A. 4, B. -4, C. -8, D. 10), indicating a possible error in the question or the options given.