The commutative property (or commutative law) is a property generally associated with binary operations and functions. If the commutative property holds for a pair of elements under a certain binary operation then the two elements are said to commute under that operation.
The addition of numbers is commutative.
a + b = b + a
The multiplication of numbers is commutative.
a × b = b × a
The subtraction of numbers is non-commutative.
a - b ≠ b - a
The division of numbers is non-commutative.
a / b ≠ b / a
Justify commutative addition rule when a is 12 and b is 3. Solution: 12 + 3 = 15 3 + 12 = 15 15 = 15
Justify commutative multiplication rule when a is 12 and b is 3. Solution: 12 × 3 = 36 3 × 12 = 36 36 = 36
Justify commutative subtraction rule when a is 12 and b is 3. Solution: 12 - 3 = 9 3 - 12 = -9 9 ≠ -9
Justify commutative division rule when a is 12 and b is 3. Solution: 12 / 3 = 4 3 / 12 = 1 / 4 = 0.25 4 ≠ 0.25
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