Question

how would you express the area of the rectangle using the distributive property?

5(x + 3)
x(3 + 5)
3(x + 5)
3x + 5

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the formula for the area of a rectangle

The area of a rectangle is \(A = \text{length}\times\text{width}\). Here, the width of the large rectangle is \(3\), and the length of the large rectangle is \((x + 5)\)

Step2: Apply the distributive property

The distributive property is \(a(b + c)=ab+ac\). Using the formula \(A=\text{width}\times\text{length}\), with \(a = 3\), \(b=x\) and \(c = 5\), the area \(A=3\times(x + 5)=3(x + 5)\)

Answer:

\(3(x + 5)\) (the third option)