Final answer:
The expression that would be easier to simplify using the associative property to change the grouping is option B: (27 + 4.5) + 1.5. Using the associative property, we can change the grouping and simplify the expression to get the final answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The expression that would be easier to simplify using the associative property to change the grouping is option B: (27 + 4.5) + 1.5.
The associative property states that changing the way numbers are grouped in addition or multiplication does not change the sum or product. In this case, we can change the grouping to (27 + (4.5 + 1.5)) to simplify the expression.
Using the associative property, we can then add 4.5 and 1.5 first to get 6. Then, add 27 and 6 to get the final answer: 33.