Question 214·Easy·Equivalent Expressions
Which expression is equivalent to ?
For distributive-property questions, immediately apply (or ), multiplying the outside number by each term inside the parentheses one at a time. Pay special attention to negative signs—especially when multiplying two negatives—and then match your simplified result to the answer choices without doing any extra algebra.
Hints
Use the distributive property
Think about how to remove the parentheses in . What property tells you to multiply the number outside by each term inside?
Handle each term separately
First, multiply by . What do you get for the coefficient of ?
Be careful with negative signs
Next, multiply by . What is the sign of the result when you multiply two negative numbers?
Combine your results
After finding both products, write them together as a sum. Which answer choice matches that expression?
Desmos Guide
Enter the original expression
In Desmos, type f(m) = -7(2m-5) to represent the original expression as a function of .
Enter each answer choice for comparison
Type each option as its own function, for example g(m) = 14m-35, h(m) = -14m-35, j(m) = -9m+5, and k(m) = -14m+35. Look at the graphs: the line that lies exactly on top of the graph of for all (same line everywhere) corresponds to the equivalent expression.
Step-by-step Explanation
Recall the distributive property
Use the distributive property, which says . Here, you have , so you need to multiply by each term inside the parentheses: and .
Distribute to the first term
Multiply by :
.
So the first term in the expanded expression is .
Distribute to the second term and watch the signs
Now multiply by :
.
A negative times a negative gives a positive, so this second term is .
Combine the distributed terms
Put the two terms together from the previous steps: the expression becomes
.
So the expression equivalent to is .