Which of the following correctly shows the application of the distributive property to the expression (7i - 8) (-2i - 5)?

Answer 1

To apply the distributive property to the expression (7i - 8)(-2i - 5), you need to distribute each term in the first parentheses to each term in the second parentheses. Here's how it would look:

(7i - 8)(-2i - 5) = (7i)(-2i) + (7i)(-5) + (-8)(-2i) + (-8)(-5)

Therefore, the correct application of the distributive property is:

(7i - 8)(-2i - 5) = -14i² - 35i + 16i + 40

Now, simplify further:

= -14i² - 19i + 40

Thus, the expression (7i - 8)(-2i - 5) correctly applies the distributive property to give -14i² - 19i + 40.