2(a + b) = 2a + 2b is an example of which algebraic property?
distributive property
associative property of addition
commutative property of addition
symmetric property

The answer to the question above is the first choice, "Distributive Property" where the number outside the parentheses is multiplied to the terms inside the parentheses. This is equivalent to saying that the number 2 is DISTRIBUTED to the terms inside the parentheses. 

Best answer that i found on yahoo ok   set :   x= length of 2nd piece in cm  x- 3= length of 1st piece in cm  x-4= length of 3rd piece in cm  then since you know they all came from the 20 cm ribbon you add them together and set them equal to 20x+ x-3 +x-4 = 20  3x - 7= 20  3x= 27  x= 9  the shortest piece is the third piece which is x- 4  x-4  9-4 = 5  the length of the smallest piece is 5 cm.  the other lengths are  9 cm  6 cm