Question

how can you use the distributive property to check you work when factoring?

Explanation:

Factoring rewrites a sum or difference into a product of factors. The Distributive Property states that $a(b+c) = ab + ac$. To check factoring, take the factored product and apply the Distributive Property to expand it back to the original polynomial. If the expanded result matches the initial expression before factoring, the factoring work is correct.

Answer:

You apply the Distributive Property to expand your factored expression. If the expanded expression matches the original unfactored polynomial, your factoring is correct.