-2(m + 4) = 40
The first step is to use the distributive property to clear the parenthesis
-2 * m + -2* 4 = 40
-2m - 8 = 40
next, to isolate the variable, add 8 to both sides
-2m - 8 + 8 = 40 + 8
-2m = 48
the last step is to get rid of the multiplication by -2 we will divide by -2
(-2m)/-2 = 48/-2
m = -24
