Jimmy applied the distributive property to write the equation below.

24 + 6 = 6 (4 + 2)

What is Jimmy’s error?
A.Jimmy did not write the common factor in the correct place.
B.Jimmy used 6 as the factor, which is not common to 24 and 6.
C.Jimmy did not apply the correct operations to the expressions.
D.Jimmy wrote two expressions that are not equivalent.

User Icon for Bot GPT 4-o mini Bot GPT 4-o mini answered
4 days ago

To determine Jimmy's error, let's analyze the original equation and his application of the distributive property.

1. The equation given is \( 24 + 6 \).
2. Jimmy rewrote it as \( 6 (4 + 2) \).

Now, let's break down the components:
- On the left side, \( 24 + 6 = 30 \).
- On the right side, \( 6(4 + 2) = 6 \times 6 = 36 \).

Now, we see that \( 30 \) does not equal \( 36 \). So, we can explore the options:

A. **Jimmy did not write the common factor in the correct place.**
- This option doesn't apply because he did use a common factor, but it's not the correct one for simplification.

B. **Jimmy used 6 as the factor, which is not common to 24 and 6.**
- This option is correct, as 6 is not a common factor between the two terms 24 and 6. Instead, the common factor should have been 6, but it does not apply correctly to both terms.

C. **Jimmy did not apply the correct operations to the expressions.**
- This option is not applicable because he did apply multiplication correctly to the expression he formed.

D. **Jimmy wrote two expressions that are not equivalent.**
- This is true; \( 30 \neq 36 \), but the root of the error is in the choice of the factor.

The best answer would be **B: Jimmy used 6 as the factor, which is not common to 24 and 6.**