Final answer:
The student's question asks whether the statement (a • b) • c = a • (b • c) is true for all real numbers a, b, and c, meaning the way numbers are grouped when multiplying does not change the product.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question asks whether the statement (a • b) • c = a • (b • c) is true for all real numbers a, b, and c. This statement is an example of the associative property of multiplication, which states that when multiplying three or more real numbers, the way in which the numbers are grouped does not affect the final product.
In other words, no matter how you group the numbers when multiplying, the result will be the same. For example, if a=2, b=3, and c=4, then (2 • 3) • 4 = 6 • 4 = 24 and 2 • (3 • 4) = 2 • 12 = 24, so both sides of the equation give the same result of 24.
The associative property is fundamental in algebra and is one of the properties that govern computation with real numbers. Therefore, the statement provided by the student is true for all real numbers a, b, and c.