Question

Determine which property is being used below. 18x1

Answer 1

Multiplicative Identity Property

Explanation:

Using math properties like the multiplicative identity property we can solve different expressions and equations.

Definition of Multiplicative Identity Property

The multiplicative identity property states that any number multiplied by 1 equals itself. This means that 18 x 1 = 18. Of course, since this is a property we can apply this idea to any equation.

• -56 x 1 = -56
• 1 x π = π
• ∞ x 1 = ∞

All of the statements above are true because of the multiplicative identity property.

Uses of the Multiplicative Identity Property

While being able to do simple operations with this property is helpful, there are other uses as well. One of the most prominent uses is finding a great common factor. When adding or subtraction fractions, you must have a GCF. We can use the multiplicative identity property to do this.

Take the expression

• 
  `\displaystyle(5)/(6)-(2)/(3)`

To solve this we must multiply
`(2)/(3)` by
`(2)/(2)`. The multiplicative identity property tells us that since 2/2 = 1, this will not affect the value of the expression (remember that anything times 1 is still equal to itself).

• 
  `\displaystyle(2)/(3)*(2)/(2) =(4)/(6)`

Then, we can solve the expression.

• 
  `\displaystyle(5)/(6) -(4)/(6) =(1)/(6)`