What is the expression 4+8(3x−2)−7x when simplified? Apply the order of operations and the commutative and distributive properties. (4 points)

1 answer

To simplify the expression \( 4 + 8(3x - 2) - 7x \), we will apply the order of operations, specifically focusing on the distributive property.

  1. Distribute the \( 8 \) to both terms inside the parentheses:

    \[ 8(3x - 2) = 8 \cdot 3x - 8 \cdot 2 = 24x - 16 \]

  2. Substitute the distributed expression back into the original:

    \[ 4 + (24x - 16) - 7x \]

  3. Now, combine like terms. Start with the constants:

    \[ 4 - 16 = -12 \]

    So the expression now looks like:

    \[ -12 + 24x - 7x \]

  4. Next, combine the \( x \) terms:

    \[ 24x - 7x = 17x \]

  5. Now, put it all together:

    \[ -12 + 17x \]

Thus, the simplified expression is

\[ \boxed{17x - 12} \]