To apply the Associative Property, we can regroup the terms in the expression \( 30m + (21m - 53) + (18 - 2m) \) without changing their order.
Let's start by simplifying the original expression:
\[ 30m + (21m - 53) + (18 - 2m) \]
First, we can combine like terms. Rearranging and grouping accordingly gives us:
\[ (30m + 21m - 2m) + (-53 + 18) \]
Now, we can combine:
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For the \(m\) terms: \[ 30m + 21m - 2m = 49m \]
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For the constants: \[ -53 + 18 = -35 \]
Putting it all together, we get:
\[ 49m - 35 \]
Let's compare this with the provided options:
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51m + (−53 + 18) - 2m
- Not equivalent.
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(30m + 21m) + (18 - 2m)
- This is equivalent based on the Associative Property, as it simply rearranges the terms.
-
53m - 35
- Not equivalent.
-
(49m - 53) + 16
- Not equivalent.
Thus, the expression (30m + 21m) + (18 - 2m) is equivalent to the original expression using the Associative Property.