distributive property

American  

[dih-strib-yuh-tiv prop-er-tee] / dɪˈstrɪb yə tɪv ˌprɒp ər ti /

noun

1. Mathematics. the property that terms in an expression may be expanded in a particular way to form an equivalent expression.

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Etymology

Origin of distributive property

First recorded in 1810–15

Example Sentences

There will be times when we’ll need to use the distributive property as part of the order of operations.

From Textbooks • Apr. 22, 2020

Using the distributive property as shown in Example 1.134 will be very useful when we solve money applications in later chapters.

From Textbooks • Apr. 22, 2020

Example 1.137 will show how to use the distributive property to find the opposite of an expression.

From Textbooks • Apr. 22, 2020

To multiply polynomials, use the distributive property to multiply each term in the first polynomial by each term in the second.

From Textbooks • Feb. 13, 2015

For everyday numbers to make sense, they have to have something called the distributive property, which is best seen through an example.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife