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

Use the distributive property, multiply, combine like terms, and simplify.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

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

If the expression inside the parentheses cannot be simplified, the next step would be multiply using the distributive property, which removes the parentheses.

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

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