Subtract (5 – 2i) – (1 + 8i).Which property allows you to write the expression as 5 – 2i – 1 – 8i?

Subtracting the second complex number means multiplying each term inside its parentheses by −1: −(1 + 8i) = −1 − 8i. This uses the distributive property, so the expression becomes 5 − 2i − 1 − 8i. Therefore, the correct choice is distributive.

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