PERT Practice Test 2025 – Comprehensive Study Guide for Postsecondary Education Readiness Success!

The Distributive property allows for the multiplication of a number by a sum or difference to be distributed across the terms within the parentheses. For instance, when you see an expression like \( a(b + c) \), it means you can distribute \( a \) to both \( b \) and \( c \), resulting in \( ab + ac \). This property is fundamental in algebra for simplifying expressions and solving equations.

The Associative property pertains to how numbers are grouped in addition or multiplication, meaning that changing the grouping does not change the outcome (e.g., \( (a + b) + c = a + (b + c) \)). The Commutative property allows for the order of numbers in addition or multiplication to be changed without affecting the result (e.g., \( a + b = b + a \)). The Simplifying property is not a standard term used in mathematics; rather, it might refer to the general process of making expressions simpler but does not specifically relate to the operation of distributing multiplication over addition.