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

If you think about doing the math in this way, you are using the distributive property.

From Textbooks • Apr. 22, 2020

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

These are the commutative properties, the associative properties, the distributive property, the identity properties, and the inverse properties.

From Textbooks • Feb. 13, 2015

Therefore, if we multiply back in using the distributive property, we get the expression we had before the factoring, which is what should happen.

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