# Distributive Property

• Jan 22nd 2008, 04:30 PM
oneconfused
Distributive Property
Distributive Property Multiplication.

Is there any combination of numbers that won't work?

lets says 2 (8+7) = 30

Is there ever a time, using any combination of numbers, negative numbers, whole numbers, fractions, etc, that this property does not work?
• Jan 22nd 2008, 05:16 PM
topsquark
Quote:

Originally Posted by oneconfused
Distributive Property Multiplication.

Is there any combination of numbers that won't work?

lets says 2 (8+7) = 30

Is there ever a time, using any combination of numbers, negative numbers, whole numbers, fractions, etc, that this property does not work?

As long as we are in the real number system there are no a, b, and c such that
$a(b + c) \neq ab + ac$. (In fact, this is true not only for the real numbers, but for the rationals, irrationals, integers, and counting numbers as well.)

-Dan
• Jan 22nd 2008, 05:33 PM
oneconfused
Thank you Dan,
I thought that. My math teacher asked this of her class today, making us believe there maybe an answer. She never told us the answer.
• Jan 23rd 2008, 02:47 PM
oneconfused
Okay, anyone out there, please help. I wrote the answer to the question that was posed as, "Distributive Property always works as long as the numbers are real.?"

My teacher wrote "You have given a true statement. But the actual question I posed was: Find a real number for which the distributive property DOESN'T work. What you did was verify that the property does work for all real numbers."

I am totally confused with this. What is the answer she is looking for?
Any ideas? :-)