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Introduction
Expanding Double Brackets
When you multiply two brackets together, you need to make sure every term in the first bracket is multiplied by every term in the second. There are three clear steps.
(x + 3)(x + 2)
= x² + 5x + 6
Step 1
Multiply the First Terms
Multiply the first term in each bracket together.
(x + 3)(x + 2)
x × x = x²
1
Step 2
Multiply the Outer and Inner Terms
Multiply the outer pair and the inner pair, then add them together to get the middle term.
(x + 3)(x + 2)
Outer: x × 2 = 2x · Inner: 3 × x = 3x
2x + 3x = 5x
2
Step 3
Multiply the Last Terms
Multiply the last term in each bracket together. Then write all three parts as your final answer.
(x + 3)(x + 2)
3 × 2 = 6
x² + 5x + 6
3
Now you try
You've got this!
Remember — first terms, outer and inner terms, last terms. Collect like terms at the end and you're done. Head back to the activities and put it into practice.
Step 1: first · Step 2: outer + inner · Step 3: last