Distributive Property Worksheets
Free printable distributive property worksheets. Expand 2(3x + 5) to 6x + 10, with an answer key. Whole numbers, no negatives by default.
Each question is a number times a bracket: 2(3x + 5) = ______. Multiply the number outside by both terms inside - 2 × 3x is 6x and 2 × 5 is 10 - so the answer is 6x + 10.
About half the brackets hold a subtraction, as in 4(x - 3) = 4x - 12, which is where a sign most often goes missing. The number outside is 2 to 9, and no number in a question or its answer is larger than 12.
What this worksheet covers
- Expand an expression using the distributive property
- Multiply every term inside a bracket, keeping track of subtraction
Common Core standards
- 6.EE.A.3 Apply the properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the distributive property?
Multiplying a sum by a number is the same as multiplying each part and adding the results: 2(3x + 5) is 2 × 3x plus 2 × 5, which is 6x + 10. The bracket is shorthand for all of this, times 2.
What is the most common mistake?
Multiplying only the first term, so 4(x - 3) becomes 4x - 3. The number outside multiplies everything inside the bracket, so the 3 becomes 12 as well: 4x - 12.
Is 10 + 6x also right?
Yes - it is the same expression in a different order. The answer key always puts the x term first so it reads the same way every time, but either order is correct.
What grade is this?
Sixth grade, where it is first used to rewrite expressions. Seventh grade puts negative numbers outside the bracket: turn on Negative numbers under Advanced options for questions like -2(3x - 4) = -6x + 8.