Not sure how far to take this problem down. The directions say to simplify using the distributive property.
4(x + 1) -2 divided by 2. Would it be 4x +4 -2 divided by 2 or 4x + 2 divided by 2 or 2x +1?
Thanks..
To simplify the expression using the distributive property, you need to distribute the 4 to both terms inside the parentheses.
So, starting with the expression 4(x + 1) - 2 divided by 2:
Step 1: Distribute 4 to both terms inside the parentheses:
4 * x = 4x
4 * 1 = 4
The expression now becomes:
4x + 4 - 2 divided by 2
Step 2: Simplify the -2 divided by 2 part:
-2 divided by 2 = -1
The expression now becomes:
4x + 4 - 1
Step 3: Combine like terms:
4x + 4 - 1 = 4x + 3
Therefore, the simplified expression using the distributive property is 4x + 3.