How do we distribute a negative across parenthesis in Math?
Answer
A common mistake that often happens in Math problems is when an equation has a particular piece like this: -(3x+4). It is important to remember the Distributive Property in this case, as it is going to be the primary rule to use here.
The Distributive Property states that when we have a number "out front" of the parenthesis, we must multiply that number to every single term on the inside of the parenthesis. For example, if we have an equation like 4(2x+7), this means we needs to multiply 4 to both 2x and 7. Therefore, our answer becomes 8x+28.
The same principle applies here with a negative sign in front of our parenthesis. The negative distributes to both the 3x and 4. So, -(3x+4) becomes -3x-4.
It is important to make sure signs are distributed properly. Failing to do this can cause completely different answers to the math equation!