Final answer:
Expression B (-17) + 45 + (-33) is easier to simplify using the commutative property because we can reorder the numbers to perform mental math more easily, pairing 45 with -33 to simplify to 12, then adding -17.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks which expression would be easier to simplify using the commutative property of addition, which states A+B=B+A.
This property means that the order of numbers in addition does not affect the sum. Considering the expressions given:
A. +(-) +5
B. (-17) + 45 + (-33)
C. 20 + 80 + (-32)
D. 20 + 17 + (-) + (-)
Expression B can be simplified more easily using the commutative property because we can rearrange the terms to pair the positive number with a negative number that has a close value, thus making mental math easier:
Original: (-17) + 45 + (-33)
Rearranged: 45 + (-33) + (-17)
This rearrangement allows us to see that 45 + (-33) simplifies to 12, and then we have 12 + (-17), which is easier to calculate mentally than the original order.