commutative property

Question

Mr. Hart wrote the following mathematical expression:  4 1/4 + 1 3/5 + 3/4

 

Use the commutative property of addition to rearrange the addends so that it is easier to simplify the expression

 

 

Answer 1

Commutative property: When two numbers are added, the sum is the same regardless of the order of the addends. For example 4 + 2 = 2 + 4

 

We can use this property to help simplify the expression  4 1/4 + 1 3/5 + 3/4 

 

When we rearrange the values, we get 4 1/4 +3/4 +1 3/5

 

We can then add the first two values to get 5, which when added to the last value yields 6 3/5