According to the Associative Property, which expression is equivalent to 30m + (21m - 53) + (18 - 2m)?

53m - 35

51m + (-53 + 18) - 2m

(30m + 21m) + (18 - 2m)

(49m - 53) +16

1 answer

To find an expression equivalent to \(30m + (21m - 53) + (18 - 2m)\) using the Associative Property, we can rearrange and group the terms without changing their sums.

Starting with the expression:

\[ 30m + (21m - 53) + (18 - 2m) \]

  1. We can rearrange it by grouping the \(m\) terms and the constants: \[ (30m + 21m - 2m) + (-53 + 18) \]

  2. Now, let's simplify the terms:

    • For the \(m\) terms: \[ 30m + 21m - 2m = 30m + 21m = 51m \quad \text{and then} \quad 51m - 2m = 49m \]
    • For the constant terms: \[ -53 + 18 = -35 \]

Thus, we have: \[ 49m - 35 \]

So, the equivalent expression is: \[ (49m - 53) + 16 \]

In summary, the equivalent expression is: \[ (49m - 53) + 16 \]

Therefore, the answer is: \((49m - 53) + 16\)