To apply the Associative Property, we can reorganize the terms in the expression without changing their sum.
The original expression is: \[ 30m + (21m - 53) + (18 - 2m) \]
We can rearrange and group the expressions.
First, let's simplify:
-
Combine \(30m\) and \(21m\): \[ 30m + 21m = 51m \]
-
Now consider what remains: \[ 51m - 53 + (18 - 2m) \]
-
Combine the constants: \[ -53 + 18 = -35 \]
-
Now combine like terms: \[ 51m - 2m = 49m \]
Thus, the overall expression simplifies to: \[ 49m - 35 \]
Now, let's check the responses. The equivalent expression we found is: \[ (49m - 53) + 16 \] This does not equal \( 49m - 35 \) directly, but can be seen as equal since: \[ 49m - 53 + 16 = 49m - 37 \] (which is not what we have). The option \( (30m + 21m) + (18 - 2m) \) is just grouping in the same way as we did and equals \( 30m + 21m + 18 - 2m = 49m - 35 \).
Therefore, the equivalent expression using associative property is: (30m + 21m) + (18 - 2m)