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You can write more sentences for equations with addition or multiplication than for equations with subtraction or division. Explain why.

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Final answer:

Addition and multiplication have the associative property, meaning the order doesn't matter. Subtraction and division don't have this property, causing fewer options for sentences.

Step-by-step explanation:

The reason you can write more sentences for equations with addition or multiplication than for equations with subtraction or division is because addition and multiplication both have the associative property. This means that the order in which numbers are added or multiplied does not affect the final result. For example, 2 + 3 is the same as 3 + 2, and 2 x 3 is the same as 3 x 2.

On the other hand, subtraction and division do not have the associative property. The order in which numbers are subtracted or divided does affect the final result. For example, 5 - 3 is not the same as 3 - 5, and 6 ÷ 2 is not the same as 2 ÷ 6.

Therefore, when writing sentences for equations with addition or multiplication, you have more options because you can rearrange the numbers without changing the result. But with subtraction and division, the order of the numbers matters, so you have fewer options for writing sentences.

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