What is a commutative property?
The commutative property says you can swap the order of the numbers in an addition or a multiplication without changing the result. It does not work for subtraction or division. Knowing it halves how many number facts you need to learn.
Examples
- 4 + 5 = 5 + 4 = 9.
- 3 Γ 6 = 6 Γ 3 = 18.
- But 9 β 4 is not the same as 4 β 9.
Quick facts
- It works for addition and multiplication only.
- An array turned on its side shows why 3 Γ 4 equals 4 Γ 3.
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