This is stated in symbols: (a x b) x c = a x (b x c). In other words, you get the same result whether you multiply the two numbers on the left first, or first the two numbers on the right. This refers to multiplication of real numbers, as usually defined; there have indeed been operationes defined, also known as "multiplication", that don't fulfill this property.
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Commutative: a × b = b × a Associative: (a × b) × c = a × (b × c) Distributive: a × (b + c) = a × b + a × c
The associative property is the property that a * (b * c) = (a * b) * c for any binary operation *. Addition and multiplication are associative, but these are definitely not the only two operations that obey this property.
The associative property of multiplication states that for any three numbers a, b and c, (a * b) * c = a * (b * c) and so we can write either as a * b * c without ambiguity. The associative property of multiplication means that you can change the grouping of the expression and still have the same product.
The Associative Property
The associative power of multiplication states that for any three numbers a, b and c, (a * b) * c = a * (b * c) and so we can write either as a * b * c without ambiguity.