Using both the Commutative and Associative Properties, determine whether the following two expressions are equivalent:

To determine whether the two expressions are equivalent, let's simplify Expression #1 step-by-step:

Expression #1: \( (2x + 4) - 2 + 3x \)

1. First, simplify \( (2x + 4) - 2 \):
\[
2x + 4 - 2 = 2x + 2
\]

2. Now, add \( 3x \) to \( 2x + 2 \):
\[
2x + 2 + 3x = (2x + 3x) + 2 = 5x + 2
\]

Now we have simplified Expression #1 to \( 5x + 2 \).

Now let's compare it to Expression #2:

Expression #2: \( 5x + 2 \)

Both Expression #1 and Expression #2 simplify to \( 5x + 2 \).

Since both expressions are equal, we can conclude that:

**The expressions are equivalent.**