Question

simplify the expression. 3(7x) + 3(x - 4)

Explanation:

Step1: Apply distributive property

First, we use the distributive property \(a(b + c)=ab+ac\) (or in our case, \(a(b)=ab\) and \(a(b - c)=ab - ac\)) to expand the terms.
For \(3(7x)\), we multiply 3 and 7x: \(3\times7x = 21x\).
For \(3(x - 4)\), we distribute the 3: \(3\times x-3\times4=3x - 12\).
So the expression becomes \(21x+3x - 12\).

Step2: Combine like terms

Now, we combine the like terms (the terms with \(x\)). The like terms are \(21x\) and \(3x\).
To combine them, we add their coefficients: \(21x+3x=(21 + 3)x=24x\).
So the simplified expression is \(24x-12\).

Answer:

\(24x - 12\)