Summary
The properties of operations -- the commutative and associative properties -- and how they let you add and multiply flexibly. Mr. J shows why order and grouping can change without changing the answer.
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All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
These properties describe how you can reorder or regroup numbers when adding or multiplying without changing the result.
- What does the commutative property let you do?
- What does the associative property let you do?
- How can these properties make mental math easier?
Quick work-a-long
Words to know: commutative, associative, property
- Show that 4 + 7 equals 7 + 4.
- Regroup (2 x 5) x 3 to make it easier and solve.