How can you use the distributive property to check your work when factoring?

A factor is any number that can be divided into another number evenly. When factoring, we look for common factors within a math expression. Factoring is normally used when finding common factors. The beauty of finding common factor is that it allows us to apply the distributive property usually applies multiplication to an existing mathematical expression such as an addition statement. This means that a number that is outside the parenthesis of an addition problem can be multiplied by each of the numbers inside the parenthesis. The opposite case is; a common factor can be factored out and written outside the parenthesis.