One example of a problem involving multiplication of fractions that can be made easier using the associative property is as follows:
Given the expression (2/3) * (4/5) * (6/7), we can use the associative property to rearrange the terms and simplify the expression. Specifically, the associative property states that the order in which we perform operations does not change the result. In this case, we can rearrange the terms as follows:
(2/3) * (4/5) * (6/7) = (4/5) * (2/3) * (6/7)
Then, we can simplify the expression using the commutative property of multiplication (which states that the order of the terms does not affect the result of the multiplication):
(4/5) * (2/3) * (6/7) = (2/3) * (4/5) * (6/7)
Finally, we can simplify the expression by multiplying the fractions:(2/3) * (4/5) * (6/7) = (12/21).
Using the associative property allows us to rearrange the terms and simplify the expression, making the problem easier to solve.