The Distributive Property is a property of multiplication over addition or subtraction. It states that when you multiply a number by a sum or difference, you can distribute the multiplication across each term inside the parentheses. In simple terms, it says:

$$a(b + c) = ab + ac$$ $$a(b - c) = ab - ac$$

For example:

• ( 3(4 + 5) = 3 \times 4 + 3 \times 5 = 12 + 15 = 27 )
• ( 2(6 - 3) = 2 \times 6 - 2 \times 3 = 12 - 6 = 6 )

This property makes it easier to simplify expressions and perform mental math.

Latex

a(b + c) = ab + ac
a(b - c) = ab - ac