Are the expressions –0.5(3x + 5) and –1.5x + 2.5 equivalent? Explain why or why not.

Answer:

Using the distributive property to expand the first expression, you would get -1.5x - 2.5. Since the constant term does not have the same sign as the second expression, the two expressions are not equivalent. Also, if you substitute in a value for x and evaluate each expression, the values will not be equal.