The Distributive Property

You can solve $2\left(x+3\right) = 14$ in two ways. The first way is to distribute the 2 over the bracket. That gives $2x+6 = 14$, a two-step equation. Subtract 6 from both sides, then divide by 2:

$$2x+6 = 14$$

$$2x = 8$$

$$x = 4$$

The second way is to divide both sides by 2 first. That gives $x+3 = 7$, and subtracting 3 gives $x = 4$. Dividing first means you never have to expand the bracket. Both ways give the same solution, because dividing both sides by 2 is allowed and 2 is not zero.

The rule behind the first way is the distributive property: $a\left(b+c\right) = ab+ac$. You will use this rule in many later lessons.