Properties of Multiplication By Cynthia Haas

Commutative Property What does it mean to “commute”? (Hint: You commute to school and home every day; your parents or guardians most likely commute to work and home each day) RIGHT! To travel back and forth

So…it looks like this in math: 7 x 5 = 5 x 7

Associative Property What does to “associate” mean? (Hint: “I like to associate with my friends at lunch time.” “Since he moved, he doesn’t really associate with the same people any more.”) RIGHT! To “hang out with” or “be friends with” OR the person you hang out with (It can be a verb or a noun)

Paul Ringo John John is “associating” with Paul. Now, John is “associating” with Ringo.

It looks like this in math: (7 x 5) x 2 = 5 is “associating” with 7. You can tell by the parentheses, or “arms around” each other. 7 x (5 x 2) Now, 5 is “associating” with 2. The “arms”, or parentheses are around 2.

Identity Property What does “identity” mean? (Hint: Your parents/guardians usually have to show some type of identity when using a credit card or writing checks. Also, when you are wondering about yourself, someone might say you’re having an identity crisis.) THAT’S RIGHT! “Identity” is “who you are”…think of a mirror.

This is what it looks like in math… 7 x 1 = 7 Think of the 1 as a mirror showing the number’s identity.

We LOVE our Math Properties!!