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3. WHOLE NUMBERS: OPERATIONS AND PROPERTIES
(3) Associative Property
Let a, b, and c be any whole numbers. Then
a(bc) = (ab)c.
(4) Identity Property
The number 1 is the unique whole number such that for every whole number
a,
a · 1 = a = 1 · a.
1 is called the multiplicative identity or the identity for multiplication.
(5) Distributive Property of Multiplication over Addition
Let a, b, and c be any whole numbers. Then
a(b + c) = ab + ac.
The 3 is distributed to the 2 and the 4.
Note. This property relates the operations of addition and multiplication.