There are three “laws” which are very useful to know and can help us make calculations easier. These are the Associative, Commutative and Distributive Laws.

 

The Associative Law tells us that when adding or multiplying, we can group numbers together in any order and the answer will be the same. This works when adding or multiplying several numbers in the same calculation. For example: 6 + 3 + 4.

6+3 is 9; 9+4 is 13.

Or 3+4 is 7; 6+7 is 13.

 

This works for multiplying too. When calculating 2 x 3 x 4, we can multiply any of the two numbers together first and then multiply the answer by the remaining number.

(2×3) x4         2 x (3×4)            (2×4) x 3         will all give the answer 24.

 

Please note this only works when adding or multiplying. It does not apply to subtraction or division.

 

CURRICULUM LINK:

I have investigated how
whole numbers are
constructed, can
understand the
importance of zero within
the system and can use
my knowledge to explain
the link between a digit,
its place and its value.
MNU 1-02a

 

You may want to find out more about:

The Distributive Law, The Commutative Law