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Commutative Property of Multiplication

The commutative property of multiplication states that the order in which two numbers are multiplied does not affect the product. For any real numbers aa and bb:

ab=baa \cdot b = b \cdot a

For example, 53=155 \cdot 3 = 15 and 35=153 \cdot 5 = 15, so 53=355 \cdot 3 = 3 \cdot 5. No matter which factor is written first, the product remains the same. Together with the commutative property of addition, this property allows numbers to be reordered freely within sums and products — a technique that is especially useful when rearranging terms makes a calculation simpler.

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Updated 2026-05-02

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