Question

Which of the following is equivalent to the expression (M • q) • r, according to the associative property?

A) (M • q) • r

B) M • (q • r)

C) (M • r) • q

D) M • (r • q)

Answer 1

Option B) M • (q • r) is equivalent to the expression (M • q) • r, by the associative property which states that the grouping in multiplication does not affect the outcome.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is option B) M • (q • r). According to the associative property of multiplication, when three or more numbers are multiplied together, the way in which they are grouped does not affect the product. Hence, the expression (M • q) • r is equivalent to M • (q • r) because regardless of how the numbers are associated or grouped, the result of the multiplication will be the same.

The associative property states that the grouping of numbers or variables does not affect the result of an operation. In this case, it means that we can rearrange the parentheses without changing the value of the expression.

Using the associative property, we can rewrite (M • q) • r as M • (q • r). This means that option B is equivalent to the given expression according to the associative property.