Distribute a negative or subtraction across parentheses
A minus sign in front of brackets changes the sign of every term inside. Expand first, then combine if you can.
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See worked examples
Expand: −3(3a − 4)
Answer: −9a + 12
Expand: −(x + 2)
Answer: −x − 2
Expand: −(3p + 3)
Answer: −3p − 3
Tip: A minus sign in front of brackets changes the sign of every term inside. Expand first, then combine if you can.
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