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AlgebraIntroduction

What Does "Expand" Mean?

Part of Expanding Brackets — GCSE Mathematics

This introduction covers What Does "Expand" Mean? within Expanding Brackets for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Expanding Brackets in Algebra for GCSE Mathematics with 14 exam-style questions and 3 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 1 of 12 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 1 of 12

Practice

14 questions

Recall

3 flashcards

What Does "Expand" Mean?

Expanding is the opposite of factorising - you're "unpacking" the bracket. Think of 3(x + 2) like having 3 bags, each containing an x and a 2. To find the total, you multiply each item by 3: that's 3x and 6. Boom - expanded!

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Expanding Brackets. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

The Key RuleMethod: Expand Using "Arrows"Worked Example 1: Basic Expansion

Practice Questions for Expanding Brackets

Which expression is equivalent to 3(x + 2)?

  • A. 3x + 2
  • B. x + 6
  • C. 3x + 6
  • D. 3x + 5
1 markfoundation

Expand -2(3x - 5)

2 marksfoundation

Quick Recall Flashcards

Sign Rules
Positive × Positive = Positive | Negative × Negative = Positive | Different signs = Negative
Expansion Rule
a(b + c) = ab + ac - multiply EVERY term inside by the term outside

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The Key Rule