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The distributive property builds on math concepts we have been learning and provides an easy way for large problems to be solved without needing to write things down.
Earlier this week, we worked with multiplying across zeros and came up with the short cut rule that when the product of a basic fact ends in zero, the product will have an extra zero. For example: 60 X 5 = 300.
We use this zero rule in our distributive work. When we use the distributive property, the goal is to break up a large number into a small number and a number that ends in a zero since both numbers can be easily multiplied. For example, instead of doing 508 x 6 we use the associative property to multiply (500 + 8) x 6. We then apply the distributive property turning the problem into (500 x 6) + (8 x 6). 500 x 6 is a problem we can do in our head just as is 8 x6. Once we have the products, it is easy to add the two together to get the answer. This also works for subtraction. Here is a subtraction example: 294 x 5 turns into (300 x 5) – (6 x 5).
Here a video to help further with any homework questions.