Question

Use the distributive property to write an expression that is equivalent to 10a - 15b + 25 in factored form.

Answer 1

Using the distributive property:

10a - 15b + 25

(10a - 10b) - 5b + 25

10(a - b) - 5b + 25

(10(a - b) - 5)b + 25

((10a - 10b) - 5)b + 25

(Factored form)

Answer 2

To rewrite this equation, we must identify a common factor of all these numbers. Because 5 goes into all the numbers, that is our common factor. Now, we use 5 to distribute the equation:

10a - 15b + 25 —> 5(2a - 3b) + 25

Hence, the distributed expression would be:

5(2a - 3b) + 25