Solve using brackets:
`203xx42`

Answer

To solve the expression \(203 \times 42\) using brackets, we can break down the numbers into their components and then apply the distributive property. Here’s a step-by-step solution:

### Step 1: Break down the numbers
We can express \(203\) and \(42\) as:
- \(203 = 200 + 3\)
- \(42 = 40 + 2\)

### Step 2: Set up the expression with brackets
Now we can rewrite the multiplication using brackets:
\[ 203 \times 42 = (200 + 3) \times (40 + 2) \]

### Step 3: Apply the distributive property
Now we will distribute each term in the first bracket to each term in the second bracket:
\[ (200 + 3) \times (40 + 2) = 200 \times 40 + 200 \times 2 + 3 \times 40 + 3 \times 2 \]

### Step 4: Calculate each multiplication
Now we will calculate each of these products:
1. \(200 \times 40 = 8000\)
2. \(200 \times 2 = 400\)
3. \(3 \times 40 = 120\)
4. \(3 \times 2 = 6\)

### Step 5: Add all the results together
Now we will add all the results from the multiplications:
\[ 8000 + 400 + 120 + 6 \]

Calculating this step-by-step:
- \(8000 + 400 = 8400\)
- \(8400 + 120 = 8520\)
- \(8520 + 6 = 8526\)

### Final Answer
Thus, the final answer is:
\[ 203 \times 42 = 8526 \]