Question

use the associative property to rewrite the expression 3x + (x + 2) by combining like terms

Answer 1

The associative property states that the way in which numbers are grouped in an addition (or multiplication) does not change the sum (or product).

In the expression \(3x + (x + 2)\), we can use the associative property to rewrite it by focusing on how we group the terms.

First, let's use the associative property to group the terms:

\[
3x + (x + 2) = (3x + x) + 2
\]

Now, we can combine like terms:

\[
3x + x = 4x
\]

So, the expression becomes:

\[
(4x) + 2 = 4x + 2
\]

Thus, the rewritten expression is:

\[
4x + 2
\]