A(B+C)=AB+AC

Sometimes very basic things are so rooted in our heads that we often forget how to explain those basics to others. So was in my case when I needed to prove my son that A(B+C) is AB+AC and not just AB+C as he originally thought. To my surprise, I couldn’t think of a way to visualize it and explain. Wait a second, if you can’t explain something you supposedly know, then you don’t really know it well… Gladly, a friend of mine remind me the way to prove it. Why am I sharing this incident? Because a lot of times we assume we know something, till we actually need to explain it to others, and that’s where our knowledge is truly tested. This is something that is greatly exposed in pair-programming. And maybe that’s the reason so many avoid it with every possible excuse out there. Just saying…

Oh, and if you want to see the simplest way to explain to a kid why A(B+C) = AB+AC, here’s visualization: