Distributive property

The distributive property of addition and multiplication states that for all real numbers "a", "b", and "c":

• <math>a(b+c)=ab+ac</math>

and

• <math>(b+c)a=ba+ca</math>

For example:

• <math>5(3m-7n)+3(4m+n)=5(3m)-5(7n)+3(4m)+3(n)=15m-35n+12m+3n=27m-32n</math>

See also:

• associativity
• commutativity