The Distributive Property
LESSON
2.2
The Distributive Property Now
BEFORE
Vocabulary equivalent numerical expressions, p. 73 equivalent variable expressions, p. 74
You used properties to add and multiply.
WHY?
You’ll use the distributive property.
So you can find the snowfall in Utah Olympic Park, as in Ex. 37.
Camping You and a friend are going on a camping trip. You each buy a backpack that costs $90 and a sleeping bag that costs $60. What is the total cost of the camping equipment?
Example 1
Evaluating Numerical Expressions
You can use two methods to find the total cost of the camping equipment described above. Method 1 Find the cost of one backpack and one sleeping bag. Then multiply the result by 2, the number of each item bought.
Total cost 2(90 60) 2(150) 300 Method 2 Find the cost of two backpacks and the cost of two sleeping bags. Then add the costs.
Total cost 2(90) 2(60) 180 120 300 Answer The total cost of the camping equipment is $300. In Example 1, the expressions 2(90 60) and 2(90) 2(60) are called equivalent numerical expressions because they have the same value. The statement 2(90 60) 2(90) 2(60) illustrates the distributive property for evaluating the product of a number and a sum or difference.
Reading Algebra Vocabulary When you use the distributive property, you distribute the number outside the parentheses to each number inside the parentheses: a(b c) ab ac
Video Tutor Go to thinkcentral.com
The Distributive Property Algebra a(b c) ab ac
Numbers 4(6 3) 4(6) 4(3)
(b c)a ba ca
(6 3)4 6(4) 3(4)
a(b c) ab ac
5(7 2) 5(7) 5(2)
(b c)a ba ca
(7 2)5 7(5) 2(5)
Lesson 2.2
The Distributive Property
73
Example 2
Using the Distributive Property
Geodes After touring a cave, you visit the gift shop and buy 3 geodes. Each geode costs $5.95. Use the distributive property and mental math to find the total cost of the geodes. Solution Total cost 3(5.95)
Write expression for total cost.
3(6 ⴚ 0.05)
Rewrite 5.95 as 6 ⴚ 0.05.
3(6) 3(0.05)
Distributive property
18 0.15
Multiply using mental math.
17.85
Subtract using mental math.
Answer The total cost of the geodes is $17.85.
In the
Real World
Geodes A geode is a hollow
rock whose interior is lined with crystals. Many geodes are small enough to fit in your hand, but a giant geode in Spain is 26 feet long and can hold 10 people inside. How does this geode’s length compare with the length of your hand?
Checkpoint Use the distributive property to evaluate the expression. 1. 3(8 5)
2. (2 9)2
3. 6(11 4)
4. (3 14)(5)
Evaluate the expression using the distributive property and mental math. 5. 4(105)
6. 3(97)
7. 5(2.9)
8. 8(7.02)
Two variable expressions that have the same value for all values of the variable(s) are called equivalent variable expressions . You can use the distributive property to write equivalent variable expressions.
Example 3
Writing Equivalent Variable Expressions
Use the distributive property to write an equivalent variable expression.
a. 3(x 7) 3(x) 3(7) 3x 21
Distributive property
b. (n 4)(ⴚ2) n(ⴚ2) 4(ⴚ2) 2n (8)
Distributive property
2n 8
c. ⴚ5(2y 3) ⴚ5(2y) (ⴚ5)(3)
Multiply.
Multiply. Definition of subtraction Distributive property
10y (15)
Multiply.
10y 15
Definition of subtraction
Checkpoint Use the distributive property to write an equivalent variable expression. 9. 8(x 2)
74
Chapter 2
Solving Equations
10. (7 t)(4)
11. 9(3m 5)
12. 2(6y 4)
Example 4
Finding Areas of Geometric Figures
Find the area of the rectangle or triangle.
a.
b.
Review Help
8 3y
7
For help with basic geometric figures, see p. 821.
12
2x 5
Solution
a. Use the formula for the area of a rectangle. A lw (2x 5)(7) 2x(7) 5(7) 14x 35
b. Use the formula for the area of a triangle. 1 2
6(8 3y) 6(8) 6(3y) 48 18y
Answer The area is (14x 35) square units.
2.2
1 2
A bh (12)(8 3y)
Answer The area is (48 18y) square units.
Exercises More Practice, p. 840
Go to thinkcentral.com Practice Exercises
Guided Practice Vocabulary Check
1. What property is illustrated by the statement 3(4 9) 3(4) 3(9)? 2. Are 2(x 1) and 2x 1 equivalent variable expressions? Explain.
Skill Check
Evaluate the expression using the distributive property and mental math. 3. 3(96)
4. 6(103)
5. 2(8.95)
6. 4(7.09)
Use the distributive property to write an equivalent variable expression. 7. 2(x 6)
8. ( y 11)(3)
9. 5(4k 9)
10. 4(2n 7)
11. Game Room You are building a game room
adjacent to your living room. The widths of the two rooms must be the same. There are no restrictions on the game room’s length l.
15 ft
Living room
Game room
20 ft
l
a. Write an expression for the total area of both rooms by multiplying their common width by their combined length. b. Write a second expression for the total area by finding the area of each room separately and then adding the two areas. c. Show that the expressions from parts (a) and (b) are equivalent. Lesson 2.2
The Distributive Property
75
Practice and Problem Solving Use the distributive property to evaluate the expression.
Homework Help
12. 2(5 3)
13. 5(9 3)
14. (4 10)7
15. (7.2 1.9)2
Example Exercises 1 12–19, 36, 41–43 2 20–27, 37 3 28–35, 44, 45 4 38–40
16. 10(18 8)
17. (6 21)(3)
18. (12 7)(4)
19. 6(2.3 3.8)
Evaluate the expression using the distributive property and mental math. 20. 4(98)
21. 7(109)
22. (211)(3)
23. 5(396)
24. 8(3.1)
25. 2(1.99)
26. 6(10.95)
27. (4.02)(9)
Use the distributive property to write an equivalent variable expression.
Lesson Resources Go to thinkcentral.com • More Examples • @HomeTutor
28. 4(x 2)
29. 3(y 9)
30. 2(3 r)
31. (s 20)(7)
32. 6(2p 1)
33. 5(5q 4)
34. 9(11 6m)
35. (2n 3)(8)
36. Basketball There are 30 teams in the National Basketball Association
(NBA). Each team can have a maximum of 12 healthy players plus 3 players on injured reserve. Use the distributive property to find the maximum number of players who can be in the NBA. 37. Snowfall Utah Olympic Park, site of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games,
gets an average of 295 inches of snow each year. Use estimation to predict the total snowfall in Utah Olympic Park over a 5 year period. Justify your answer using the distributive property and mental math. Geometry Find the area of the rectangle or triangle. 38.
39.
5a 7
40. 13
4 18
3x 2
6 2y
Use the distributive property to evaluate the expression.
Study Strategy In Exercises 41–44, you can use an extended version of the distributive property. For example, an expression of the form a(b c d) can be written as ab ac ad.
41. 5(7 2 4)
42. 3(9 1 6)
43. (21 11 3)4
44. Giant Pumpkins A giant pumpkin can be difficult to weigh directly on
a scale. To estimate the weight, you can first measure the distances a, b, and c (in inches) as shown below. The weight W (in pounds) can then be approximated using the formula W 1.9(a b c). a
b
c
a. Use the distributive property to write the given formula without parentheses. b. For a certain pumpkin, a 132 inches, b 91 inches, and c 85 inches. Approximate the weight of the pumpkin to the nearest pound.
76
Chapter 2
Solving Equations
45. Extended Problem Solving For a cylindrical
corn silo with the dimensions shown, the weight W (in pounds) of the corn silage inside is typically given by W 4400(40 d), where d is the distance (in feet) from the top of the corn to the top of the silo.
d
40 ft
a. Use the distributive property to write the given formula without parentheses.
Corn
b. Calculate Suppose d 15 feet. What is the weight of the corn in the silo?
20 ft
c. Interpret and Apply How many days will the amount of corn from part (b) last if it is used to feed a herd of 100 cows and each cow eats 10 pounds of corn a day? Use the distributive property to write an equivalent variable expression. 46. x(x 9)
47. m(5 m)
48. (2u 7)u
49. 3y( y 8)
50. Challenge Llamas are often raised as pets or to carry supplies in
mountainous areas. Suppose you are building a rectangular pen for a herd of llamas. You use 500 feet of fencing for the pen. Let x represent the pen’s length (in feet).
a.
Writing Write an expression for the width of the pen. Explain the steps you used to find the expression.
b. Use the distributive property to write an expression without parentheses for the area of the pen. c. Find the width and the area of the pen if the length is 160 feet.
Mixed Review
Find the sum or difference. (Lessons 1.5, 1.6) 51. 20 (9)
52. 34 16
53. 81 58
54. 65 (27)
55. Temperature Find the mean of the following temperatures: 15F,
7F , 8F , 3F , 9F . (Lesson 1.7)
Identify the property that the statement illustrates. (Lesson 2.1) 56. (x 5y) 2 x (5y 2) 2
58. r s sr
Standardized Test Practice
2
57. 3m 2n 2n 3m 59. c 7 p 1 c 7
60. Multiple Choice Which expression is equivalent to 3(7 2x)?
A. 21 6x
B. 21 2x
C. 21 6x
D. 21 6x
61. Multiple Choice What is the area (in
square units) of the rectangle shown? F. 4y 13 H. 20y 8
G. 8y 26
5 4y 8
I. 20y 40
62. Short Response You and a friend go to the movies. You each buy a
ticket for $9.00 and a popcorn-and-drink combo for $5.25. Describe two methods you can use to find the total amount of money you and your friend spend. What is the total amount spent? Lesson 2.2
The Distributive Property
77
2.2
The Distributive Property Now
BEFORE
Vocabulary equivalent numerical expressions, p. 73 equivalent variable expressions, p. 74
You used properties to add and multiply.
WHY?
You’ll use the distributive property.
So you can find the snowfall in Utah Olympic Park, as in Ex. 37.
Camping You and a friend are going on a camping trip. You each buy a backpack that costs $90 and a sleeping bag that costs $60. What is the total cost of the camping equipment?
Example 1
Evaluating Numerical Expressions
You can use two methods to find the total cost of the camping equipment described above. Method 1 Find the cost of one backpack and one sleeping bag. Then multiply the result by 2, the number of each item bought.
Total cost 2(90 60) 2(150) 300 Method 2 Find the cost of two backpacks and the cost of two sleeping bags. Then add the costs.
Total cost 2(90) 2(60) 180 120 300 Answer The total cost of the camping equipment is $300. In Example 1, the expressions 2(90 60) and 2(90) 2(60) are called equivalent numerical expressions because they have the same value. The statement 2(90 60) 2(90) 2(60) illustrates the distributive property for evaluating the product of a number and a sum or difference.
Reading Algebra Vocabulary When you use the distributive property, you distribute the number outside the parentheses to each number inside the parentheses: a(b c) ab ac
Video Tutor Go to thinkcentral.com
The Distributive Property Algebra a(b c) ab ac
Numbers 4(6 3) 4(6) 4(3)
(b c)a ba ca
(6 3)4 6(4) 3(4)
a(b c) ab ac
5(7 2) 5(7) 5(2)
(b c)a ba ca
(7 2)5 7(5) 2(5)
Lesson 2.2
The Distributive Property
73
Example 2
Using the Distributive Property
Geodes After touring a cave, you visit the gift shop and buy 3 geodes. Each geode costs $5.95. Use the distributive property and mental math to find the total cost of the geodes. Solution Total cost 3(5.95)
Write expression for total cost.
3(6 ⴚ 0.05)
Rewrite 5.95 as 6 ⴚ 0.05.
3(6) 3(0.05)
Distributive property
18 0.15
Multiply using mental math.
17.85
Subtract using mental math.
Answer The total cost of the geodes is $17.85.
In the
Real World
Geodes A geode is a hollow
rock whose interior is lined with crystals. Many geodes are small enough to fit in your hand, but a giant geode in Spain is 26 feet long and can hold 10 people inside. How does this geode’s length compare with the length of your hand?
Checkpoint Use the distributive property to evaluate the expression. 1. 3(8 5)
2. (2 9)2
3. 6(11 4)
4. (3 14)(5)
Evaluate the expression using the distributive property and mental math. 5. 4(105)
6. 3(97)
7. 5(2.9)
8. 8(7.02)
Two variable expressions that have the same value for all values of the variable(s) are called equivalent variable expressions . You can use the distributive property to write equivalent variable expressions.
Example 3
Writing Equivalent Variable Expressions
Use the distributive property to write an equivalent variable expression.
a. 3(x 7) 3(x) 3(7) 3x 21
Distributive property
b. (n 4)(ⴚ2) n(ⴚ2) 4(ⴚ2) 2n (8)
Distributive property
2n 8
c. ⴚ5(2y 3) ⴚ5(2y) (ⴚ5)(3)
Multiply.
Multiply. Definition of subtraction Distributive property
10y (15)
Multiply.
10y 15
Definition of subtraction
Checkpoint Use the distributive property to write an equivalent variable expression. 9. 8(x 2)
74
Chapter 2
Solving Equations
10. (7 t)(4)
11. 9(3m 5)
12. 2(6y 4)
Example 4
Finding Areas of Geometric Figures
Find the area of the rectangle or triangle.
a.
b.
Review Help
8 3y
7
For help with basic geometric figures, see p. 821.
12
2x 5
Solution
a. Use the formula for the area of a rectangle. A lw (2x 5)(7) 2x(7) 5(7) 14x 35
b. Use the formula for the area of a triangle. 1 2
6(8 3y) 6(8) 6(3y) 48 18y
Answer The area is (14x 35) square units.
2.2
1 2
A bh (12)(8 3y)
Answer The area is (48 18y) square units.
Exercises More Practice, p. 840
Go to thinkcentral.com Practice Exercises
Guided Practice Vocabulary Check
1. What property is illustrated by the statement 3(4 9) 3(4) 3(9)? 2. Are 2(x 1) and 2x 1 equivalent variable expressions? Explain.
Skill Check
Evaluate the expression using the distributive property and mental math. 3. 3(96)
4. 6(103)
5. 2(8.95)
6. 4(7.09)
Use the distributive property to write an equivalent variable expression. 7. 2(x 6)
8. ( y 11)(3)
9. 5(4k 9)
10. 4(2n 7)
11. Game Room You are building a game room
adjacent to your living room. The widths of the two rooms must be the same. There are no restrictions on the game room’s length l.
15 ft
Living room
Game room
20 ft
l
a. Write an expression for the total area of both rooms by multiplying their common width by their combined length. b. Write a second expression for the total area by finding the area of each room separately and then adding the two areas. c. Show that the expressions from parts (a) and (b) are equivalent. Lesson 2.2
The Distributive Property
75
Practice and Problem Solving Use the distributive property to evaluate the expression.
Homework Help
12. 2(5 3)
13. 5(9 3)
14. (4 10)7
15. (7.2 1.9)2
Example Exercises 1 12–19, 36, 41–43 2 20–27, 37 3 28–35, 44, 45 4 38–40
16. 10(18 8)
17. (6 21)(3)
18. (12 7)(4)
19. 6(2.3 3.8)
Evaluate the expression using the distributive property and mental math. 20. 4(98)
21. 7(109)
22. (211)(3)
23. 5(396)
24. 8(3.1)
25. 2(1.99)
26. 6(10.95)
27. (4.02)(9)
Use the distributive property to write an equivalent variable expression.
Lesson Resources Go to thinkcentral.com • More Examples • @HomeTutor
28. 4(x 2)
29. 3(y 9)
30. 2(3 r)
31. (s 20)(7)
32. 6(2p 1)
33. 5(5q 4)
34. 9(11 6m)
35. (2n 3)(8)
36. Basketball There are 30 teams in the National Basketball Association
(NBA). Each team can have a maximum of 12 healthy players plus 3 players on injured reserve. Use the distributive property to find the maximum number of players who can be in the NBA. 37. Snowfall Utah Olympic Park, site of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games,
gets an average of 295 inches of snow each year. Use estimation to predict the total snowfall in Utah Olympic Park over a 5 year period. Justify your answer using the distributive property and mental math. Geometry Find the area of the rectangle or triangle. 38.
39.
5a 7
40. 13
4 18
3x 2
6 2y
Use the distributive property to evaluate the expression.
Study Strategy In Exercises 41–44, you can use an extended version of the distributive property. For example, an expression of the form a(b c d) can be written as ab ac ad.
41. 5(7 2 4)
42. 3(9 1 6)
43. (21 11 3)4
44. Giant Pumpkins A giant pumpkin can be difficult to weigh directly on
a scale. To estimate the weight, you can first measure the distances a, b, and c (in inches) as shown below. The weight W (in pounds) can then be approximated using the formula W 1.9(a b c). a
b
c
a. Use the distributive property to write the given formula without parentheses. b. For a certain pumpkin, a 132 inches, b 91 inches, and c 85 inches. Approximate the weight of the pumpkin to the nearest pound.
76
Chapter 2
Solving Equations
45. Extended Problem Solving For a cylindrical
corn silo with the dimensions shown, the weight W (in pounds) of the corn silage inside is typically given by W 4400(40 d), where d is the distance (in feet) from the top of the corn to the top of the silo.
d
40 ft
a. Use the distributive property to write the given formula without parentheses.
Corn
b. Calculate Suppose d 15 feet. What is the weight of the corn in the silo?
20 ft
c. Interpret and Apply How many days will the amount of corn from part (b) last if it is used to feed a herd of 100 cows and each cow eats 10 pounds of corn a day? Use the distributive property to write an equivalent variable expression. 46. x(x 9)
47. m(5 m)
48. (2u 7)u
49. 3y( y 8)
50. Challenge Llamas are often raised as pets or to carry supplies in
mountainous areas. Suppose you are building a rectangular pen for a herd of llamas. You use 500 feet of fencing for the pen. Let x represent the pen’s length (in feet).
a.
Writing Write an expression for the width of the pen. Explain the steps you used to find the expression.
b. Use the distributive property to write an expression without parentheses for the area of the pen. c. Find the width and the area of the pen if the length is 160 feet.
Mixed Review
Find the sum or difference. (Lessons 1.5, 1.6) 51. 20 (9)
52. 34 16
53. 81 58
54. 65 (27)
55. Temperature Find the mean of the following temperatures: 15F,
7F , 8F , 3F , 9F . (Lesson 1.7)
Identify the property that the statement illustrates. (Lesson 2.1) 56. (x 5y) 2 x (5y 2) 2
58. r s sr
Standardized Test Practice
2
57. 3m 2n 2n 3m 59. c 7 p 1 c 7
60. Multiple Choice Which expression is equivalent to 3(7 2x)?
A. 21 6x
B. 21 2x
C. 21 6x
D. 21 6x
61. Multiple Choice What is the area (in
square units) of the rectangle shown? F. 4y 13 H. 20y 8
G. 8y 26
5 4y 8
I. 20y 40
62. Short Response You and a friend go to the movies. You each buy a
ticket for $9.00 and a popcorn-and-drink combo for $5.25. Describe two methods you can use to find the total amount of money you and your friend spend. What is the total amount spent? Lesson 2.2
The Distributive Property
77
