The distributive property states that:
a(b+c)=ab+bc.
or more generally: a(b+c+d)=ab+av+ad.
This is a very useful tool to perform multiplication.
For example, if we want to multiply 7 by 234, we can proceed as follows:
7*234=7(200+30+4)=7*200+7*30+7*4=1400+210+28=1610+28=1638
back to our problem,
4 * 24 = 4(20+4)=4*20+4*4=80+16=96 ($)
So, instead of multiplying 4 by 24, we multiplied 4 by 20 and 4, which is easier, and then added these together.
Answer:
4 * 24 = 4(20+4) [=4*20+4*4=80+16=96 ($)]
