Distribute

Distribute[f[, , ... ]] distributes f over Plus appearing in any of the .

Distribute[expr, g] distributes over g.

Distribute[expr, g, f] performs the distribution only if the head of expr is f.

Distribute effectively implements the distributive law for operators f and g.

Distribute explicitly constructs the complete result of a distribution; Expand, on the other hand, builds up results iteratively, simplifying at each stage.

Example: Distribute[f[a+b,c+d]] .

Distribute[f[a+b,g[x,y],c], g] .

Distribute[expr, g, f, gp, fp] gives gp and fp in place of g and f respectively in the result of the distribution.

See The Mathematica Book: Section 2.2.10.

See also: Expand, Thread, Outer, Inner.

Further Examples