1. The problem is to explain how to distribute the exponent 2 in the expression $4x + 1$. 2. The expression is $(4x + 1)^2$, which means the entire quantity $4x + 1$ is squared. 3. The formula to expand a binomial squared is $$(a + b)^2 = a^2 + 2ab + b^2$$ where $a = 4x$ and $b = 1$. 4. Applying the formula: - Square the first term: $(4x)^2 = 16x^2$ - Multiply the two terms and double it: $2 \times 4x \times 1 = 8x$ - Square the last term: $1^2 = 1$ 5. Combine all parts: $$16x^2 + 8x + 1$$ 6. So, distributing the exponent 2 over $4x + 1$ means expanding it to $16x^2 + 8x + 1$. This is the expanded form of $(4x + 1)^2$.