Distributive Property is used to expand an expression Why: it makes it easier to solve
Recall the distributive property of multiplication over addition... symbolically: a × (b + c) = a × b + a × c and pictorially (rectangular array area model): a × ba × ca bc
An example: 6 x 13 using your mental math skills... symbolically: 6 × (10 + 3) = 6 × × 3 and pictorially (rectangular array area model): 6 × 106 ×
What about 12 x 23? Mental math skills? (10+2)(20+3) = 10 × × × × 3 10 × × × 32 × 322 ×
Distributive Property (a+b) × (c+d) = a × (c+d) + b × (c+d) = a × c + a × d + b × c + b × d a × c a × d a c d b × db × dbb × c