You and your friend are trying to solve this problem:

Question

(−4)×(5/7)×(−3/4)×(7 1/5)

Your friend says the best strategy is to do each operation in order from left to right following the order of operations. You see that changing the order of the numbers being multiplied will make the problem simpler. What fact can you use to convince your friend that your method is a valid way to solve the problem?

(1 point)
Responses

The Commutative Property of Multiplication says that changing the order in which you multiply the factors does not change the answer; a×b=b×a
.
The Commutative Property of Multiplication says that changing the order in which you multiply the factors does not change the answer; a times b equals b times a .

The order of operations can be ignored when multiplying.
The order of operations can be ignored when multiplying.

The Associative Property of Multiplication says that the way factors are grouped in a multiplication problem does not change the answer; a×(b×c)=(a×b)×c
.
The Associative Property of Multiplication says that the way factors are grouped in a multiplication problem does not change the answer; a times left parenthesis b times c right parenthesis equals left parenthesis a times b right parenthesis times c .

It is impossible to multiply the numbers in their current order.

Answer 1

The best response to convince your friend that changing the order of the numbers being multiplied will make the problem simpler is:

The Commutative Property of Multiplication says that changing the order in which you multiply the factors does not change the answer; a × b = b × a.

This property confirms that multiplication is commutative, meaning that the order in which numbers are multiplied does not affect the final product. Therefore, rearranging the factors can lead to a more straightforward calculation.