Question

If there is no sign in front of the brackets then do I have to multiply all the signs with it and if so what do I do if there is a negative number in front of it or there is a subtraction sign in the brackets?

Answer 1

See Explanation

Explanation:

Before I proceed, take note of the following:

1. The Product of two same signs (- and -), (+ and +) is positive.
2. The Product of two different signs (- and +), (+ and -) is negative.

If there is no sign in front of the bracket, the sign there is addition/positive, you simply multiply the number outside with what is inside the bracket.

• Take for example
• 2(x-5)=2x-10

If there is a negative number in front of the bracket, you use the negative number to to multiply each of the terms inside the bracket.

• For Illustration:
• -2(x-5+y)=-2x+5y-2y

You will notice that we have used -2 to multiply all the terms inside the bracket and wherever there is a minus inside the bracket, the product is now positive.

Answer 2

A lack of sign in front of a bracket means a positive of the content of the bracket is what you have.

Explanation:

If there is no sign in front of a bracket, it means you have a plus + there. It is not necessary to put the plus sign in front of the brackets. But it is not the case for minus, if there is a minus, it must be written.

EXAMPLE

suppose you want to remove the brackets in the following.

a. 2(a + b)

This becomes

2×a + 2×b = 2a + 2b

b. -4(2x - 3y)

= -4×2x + (-4)×(-3y)

= -8x + 12y

c. (p - 2q)

= p - 2q

d. -(t - 4u)

= -t + 4u