The least common multiple (LCM) is the smallest positive integer that is a multiple of two or more integers.

To add or subtract terms with exponents, both the base and the exponent must be the same. In this case they are so subtract the coefficients and retain the base and exponent:

-2x⁶ - 3x⁶
(-2 - 3)x⁶
-5x⁶

To multiply terms with exponents, the base of both exponents must be the same. In this case they are so multiply the coefficients and add the exponents:

-8c⁵ x 5c⁶
(-8 x 5)c^{(5 + 6)}
-40c¹¹

The distributive property for multiplication helps in solving expressions like a(b + c). It specifies that the result of multiplying one number by the sum or difference of two numbers can be obtained by multiplying each number individually and then totaling the results: a(b + c) = ab + ac. For example, 4(10-5) = (4 x 10) - (4 x 5) = 40 - 20 = 20.

The first few multiples of 2 are [2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20] and the first few multiples of 8 are [8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72, 80]. The first few multiples they share are [8, 16, 24, 32, 40] making 8 the smallest multiple 2 and 8 have in common.