Question

Which of the following is a valid application of the distributive property?

A. 5 x 2 + 3 = 5 X (2 + 3)
B. 5 x 2 + 3 = 5 x (2) + 5 x (3)

B only
A only
Neither A nor B
Both A and B

Answer 1

B only

Explanation:

The correct answer is B only.

The distributive property states that a multiplication of a number by a sum or difference can be rewritten as the sum or difference of the products of the number with each term in the sum or difference. In other words, a(b + c) = ab + ac and a(b - c) = ab - ac.

Option A, 5 x 2 + 3 = 5 X (2 + 3), does not use the distributive property correctly. It tries to distribute the 5 over the sum 2 + 3, which is not possible.

Option B, 5 x 2 + 3 = 5 x (2) + 5 x (3), correctly applies the distributive property by distributing the 5 over each term in the sum 2 + 3.

Therefore, the valid application of the distributive property is B only.