Introduction to Using the Distributive Property

Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies on a cookie sheet

Better count these fresh-baked cookies before they disappear!

Sandy is making cookies for a bake sale to raise money for her volleyball team. She bakes three dozen chocolate chip cookies and four dozen peanut butter cookies. When she gets to the bake sale to drop off her cookies, the organizer asks her how many cookies she's dropping off. Sandy knows that one dozen equals [latex]12[/latex] cookies, so how can she figure out the total number of cookies she baked? In this section, you'll learn about the different ways we can calculate the total using the distributive property.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Simplify expressions using the distributive property
Evaluate expressions using the distributive property

Readiness Quiz

Before you get started, take this readiness quiz.

Multiply: [latex]3\left(0.25\right)[/latex].If you missed this problem, review [link]
Simplify: [latex]10-\left(-2\right)\left(3\right)[/latex].If you missed this problem, review [link]
Combine like terms: [latex]9y+17+3y - 2[/latex].If you missed this problem, review [link].

Licenses & Attributions

CC licensed content, Shared previously

Cookies. Authored by: Sarah Fleming. Located at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chocolate_chip_cookies_in_the_oven,_March_2008.jpg. License: CC BY: Attribution.

CC licensed content, Specific attribution

Prealgebra. Provided by: OpenStax License: CC BY: Attribution. License terms: Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected].

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