Properties of Operations

Front

What is the Distributive Property?

Back

The Distributive Property states that a(b + c) = ab + ac. It allows you to multiply a number by a sum by distributing the multiplication to each addend.

Front

What is the Associative Property of Addition?

Back

The Associative Property of Addition states that the way numbers are grouped in addition does not change their sum. For example, (a + b) + c = a + (b + c).

Front

What is the Commutative Property of Multiplication?

Back

The Commutative Property of Multiplication states that changing the order of the factors does not change the product. For example, a x b = b x a.

Front

What is the Inverse Property of Multiplication?

Back

The Inverse Property of Multiplication states that for any number a, a x (1/a) = 1, meaning that a number multiplied by its reciprocal equals one.

Front

What is the Associative Property of Multiplication?

Back

The Associative Property of Multiplication states that the way numbers are grouped in multiplication does not change their product. For example, (a x b) x c = a x (b x c).

Front

What is an example of the Distributive Property?

Back

An example is 3(4 + 5) = 3 x 4 + 3 x 5, which equals 12 + 15 = 27.

Front

What is an example of the Commutative Property of Addition?

Back

An example is 2 + 3 = 3 + 2, which both equal 5.

Front

What is an example of the Inverse Property of Addition?

Back

An example is a + (-a) = 0, meaning a number plus its negative equals zero.

Front

What is the difference between the Commutative and Associative Properties?

Back

The Commutative Property deals with the order of numbers, while the Associative Property deals with the grouping of numbers.

Front

What is the result of using the Distributive Property on 5(2 + 3)?

Back

The result is 5 x 2 + 5 x 3 = 10 + 15 = 25.