Expanding Brackets

Things that you need to know:

• How to multiply algebraic expressions together

Things that you will learn:

• How to expand brackets using FOIL.

Method

When expanding brackets a method known as FOIL is very useful.

To use FOIL, you need to multiply the First, Outside, Inside, and Last values.

Worked example

(2x + 8)(5x + 2)

First: 2x × 5x = 10x^2 Outside: 2x × 2 = 4x Inside: 8 × 5x = 40x Last: 8×2 = 16

Now put them together… 10x^2 + 44x +16

And there you have it. Just use FOIL, and watch your negatives :-)