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How do you simplify $- 5 (x - 7)$ $-5(x-7)$ ?

1 Answer

Apr 14, 2018

$- 5 x + 35$ $-5x + 35$

Explanation:

The easiest way to solve this problem is to use the distributive property:

https://sites.google.com/a/d83.org/math-6/chapter-6/6-6-the-distributive-property

Basically you multiply the number outside the parentheses by everything inside the parentheses.

$- 5 (x - 7)$ $color(blue)(-5)(color(orange)x color(green)(- 7))$

$(- 5 \times x)$ $(color(blue)(-5) xx color(orange)x)$ $+ (- 5 \times - 7)$ $+ (color(blue)(-5) xx color(green)(-7))$

$- 5 x + (+ 35)$ $-5x + (+35)$

$xxxxxxxxx$ $color(white)"xxxxxxxxx"$ $↑$ $uarr$ remember that $negative \times negative = positive$ $"negative" xx "negative" = "positive"$ . That's why $35$ $35$ is positive.

$- 5 x + 35$ $-5x + 35$

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