Simplifying by Distributing and Combining Like Terms
Simplify — an expression that contains two sets of parentheses, each requiring distribution before the terms can be combined.
Step 1 — Distribute both factors: Apply the distributive property to each parenthesized group. For the first group, multiply by each term: and . For the second group, the subtraction sign in front of acts as multiplication by : and :
Step 2 — Combine like terms: Group the variable terms and the constant terms. The -terms are and : . The constants are and : :
The simplified result is . The key insight is that a subtraction sign immediately before a set of parentheses is equivalent to multiplying everything inside by , which changes the sign of every term. This is why becomes rather than .
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