No, the expressions –0.5(3x 5) and –1.5x 2.5 are not equivalent.
Using the distributive property to expand the first expression, you would get -1.5x - 2.5. Since the constant term does not have the same sign as the second expression, the two expressions are not equivalent.
Also, if you substitute in a value for x and evaluate each expression, the values will not be equal.
