Commutative Property – Part I

Commutative Property Part I

Introduction

Numbers can sometimes be arranged in a different order without changing the result. The commutative property explains when this is possible and helps make calculations simpler and more flexible.

A student bought a muffin that cost $3 and a juice that cost $4. To find the total cost, the cashier adds the price of the muffin and then the juice, which equals $7.

If the cashier changes the order of addition and adds the price of the juice first, followed by the price of the muffin, the total is still $7. This shows that changing the ...