Expanding means multiplying out the brackets — distribute, then simplify.
Walk through
Step 1 of 5
The product
Expand (x + 2)(x + 3) using **FOIL** — First, Outer, Inner, Last.
Expanding moves
- Single bracket: distribute — a(b + c) = ab + ac.
- Two brackets: FOIL — multiply every term in the first by every term in the second.
- Always collect like terms at the end.
Your turn
Expand and simplify 3(2x − 1) + 2(x + 4).
Watch out
(x + 2)² is not x² + 4. It's (x + 2)(x + 2) = x² + 4x + 4 — don't forget the middle term.
Distributive law
Try it
3(x + 4)
3·x + 3·4 = 3x + 12.
Try it
(x + 2)(x + 3) — FOIL
First: x·x = x². Outer: 3x. Inner: 2x. Last: 6. Sum: x² + 5x + 6.