Question

Use the associative and commutative properties to rearrange the terms in the expression to make it easier to calculate. Explain why the rearranged expression is easier to work with.

Options:
A) (a + b) + c = a + (b + c) - It simplifies calculations.
B) (a - b) - c = a - (b - c) - It simplifies calculations.
C) (a × b) × c = a × (b × c) - It simplifies calculations.
D) (a ÷ b) ÷ c = a ÷ (b ÷ c) - It simplifies calculations.

Answer 1

The correct option is C) (a × b) × c = a × (b × c). The rearranged expression is easier to calculate because the order of multiplication doesn't matter.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this case, the correct option is C) (a × b) × c = a × (b × c). The associative property states that the grouping of numbers doesn't affect their sum or product. The commutative property states that the order of numbers doesn't affect their sum or product. When we rearrange the terms in the expression using the associative property, it becomes easier to calculate because the order of multiplication doesn't matter. For example, if we have 2 × 3 × 4, we can calculate it as (2 × 3) × 4 or 2 × (3 × 4) and still get the same result of 24.