Question

1. sandra and joshua counted the number of chairs in the auditorium. sandra multiplied the number of chairs in each row by the number of rows. joshua multiplied the number of rows by the number of chairs in each row. which property explains why they are both correct?

distributive property
associative property of multiplication
commutative property of multiplication
multiplicative inverses

Explanation:

The commutative property of multiplication states that for any two numbers \(a\) and \(b\), \(a\times b=b\times a\). Sandra multiplies the number of rows (\(r\)) by the number of chairs in each row (\(c\)) as \(r\times c\), and Joshua multiplies the number of chairs in each row (\(c\)) by the number of rows (\(r\)) as \(c\times r\). Since \(r\times c = c\times r\) according to the commutative property of multiplication, they are both correct.

Answer:

Commutative Property of Multiplication