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Why is subtracting an expression similar to distributing a –1?
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Take the expression 2x - (x - 3). We know we can multiply everything by 1 and not change it; we know that if a variable does not have a coefficient with it, we can write a 1 beside it. That means we can write our expression as
2x - 1(x - 3). This helps us see the distributive property applies here:
2x - 1x - 1(-3)
2x - 1x - -3
2x - 1x + 3
1x + 3 = x + 3
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