To answer this question we will use the distributive property:
[tex]a(c+d)=ac+ad\text{.}[/tex]Therefore:
[tex]\begin{gathered} 3(p-3)=3\cdot p+3\cdot(-3) \\ =3p-9. \end{gathered}[/tex]Now, we know that:
[tex]3p-9\ne3p-3.[/tex]Therefore step 1 is incorrect.
Step 1 is incorrect because the person did not use the distributive property properly.
Answer: Step 1 is incorrect because the person did not use the distributive property properly.
[tex]3(p-3)\ne3p-3.[/tex]