Question

use the distributive property to factor the expression.
$\frac{7}{2}a + 6=\frac{1}{2}(7a)+\frac{1}{2}(12)$
$=square(square a+square)$

Explanation:

Step1: Identify common factor

We see that $\frac{1}{2}$ is common in $\frac{1}{2}(7a)+\frac{1}{2}(12)$.

Step2: Apply distributive property in reverse

According to the distributive property $ab + ac=a(b + c)$. Here $a=\frac{1}{2}$, $b = 7a$ and $c = 12$. So, $\frac{1}{2}(7a)+\frac{1}{2}(12)=\frac{1}{2}(7a + 12)$.

Answer:

$\frac{1}{2}(7a + 12)$