Question

what is the expression 4+8(3x- 2) - 7x when simplified? apply the order of operation and the commutative and distributive properties show all your work

Answer 1

To simplify the expression, we will apply the order of operations (PEMDAS) and the distributive property.

Given expression: 4 + 8(3x - 2) - 7x

First, we will simplify the expression within the parentheses:
3x - 2

Next, we will use the distributive property to multiply 8 by (3x - 2):
8(3x) - 8(2) = 24x - 16

Now we substitute these simplified expressions back into the main expression:
4 + 24x - 16 - 7x

Using the commutative property, we can rearrange the terms:
4 - 16 + 24x - 7x

Combine like terms:
-12 + 17x

Therefore, when simplified, the expression 4 + 8(3x - 2) - 7x is equal to -12 + 17x.