Skip to content

Physics Playground

Simulations How we teach Pricing

Language

Log in Start learning free

Loading…

Physics Playground

Built on open, peer-reviewed sources: OpenStax, The Feynman Lectures on Physics, HyperPhysics, NASA and NIST. See our sources.

Learn

Physics course
Math for Physics
Start with the math toolkit
Simulations
Glossary
Exercises
Past exams
Library
How we teach

Company

Pricing
Terms
Privacy
Contact

© 2026 Physics Playground. Made for the curious.Language

Properties of Real Numbers: example 1.124 · Physics Playground

Exercises Numbers, fractions and percents

Example 1.124 from Elementary Algebra, 1.9 Properties of Real Numbers

Properties of Real Numbers: example 1.124

Use the associative property to simplify $6 (3 x) .$

Work it out on paper first. Then open the solution one step at a time, and stop as soon as you can finish on your own.

Solution

$6 (3 x)$

Change the grouping. $(6 \cdot 3) x$

Multiply in the parentheses. $18 x$

Table 1.44

Notice that we can multiply $6 \cdot 3$ but we could not multiply 3x without having a value for x.

Your turn

The book's Try It right after this example: same idea, new numbers. Only the answer is given.

Use the associative property to simplify 8(4x).

How did it go?

PreviousThe Real Numbers: example 1.120 Next Properties of Real Numbers: example 1.125

From Elementary Algebra (1st edition) by OpenStax (Rice University), section 1.9, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Original at openstax.org. We split the solution into steps; the words, numbers and figures are the book's. OpenStax doesn't endorse this site.