Which rule states that two factors can switch order and the product stays the same?

Which rule states that two factors can switch order and the product stays the same?

• A. Turn-around rule
• B. Commutative property
• C. Associative property
• D. Distributive property

Answer: (A)

The rule is the commutative property of multiplication. It says you can switch the order of the factors and the product stays the same. For example, 7 × 4 equals 4 × 7, both giving 28. This works for any two numbers, and you can apply it step by step with more factors, reorder them as needed, and the final product remains unchanged. This helps with mental math and simplifying problems because you can arrange factors in a way that’s easiest to multiply. The associative property, by contrast, is about how numbers are grouped when multiplying (like (a × b) × c = a × (b × c)), not about the order. The distributive property relates multiplying a number by a sum to multiplying by each addend (a × (b + c) = a × b + a × c).

The rule is the commutative property of multiplication. It says you can switch the order of the factors and the product stays the same. For example, 7 × 4 equals 4 × 7, both giving 28. This works for any two numbers, and you can apply it step by step with more factors, reorder them as needed, and the final product remains unchanged.

This helps with mental math and simplifying problems because you can arrange factors in a way that’s easiest to multiply. The associative property, by contrast, is about how numbers are grouped when multiplying (like (a × b) × c = a × (b × c)), not about the order. The distributive property relates multiplying a number by a sum to multiplying by each addend (a × (b + c) = a × b + a × c).