Math 1 · Lesson 2 · part 1 of 5
The Words We Use
The vocabulary for this lesson, in one place.
Words we use
| Property | The everyday word | What the numbers may do |
|---|---|---|
| Commutative (of addition, of multiplication) | To commute is to travel back and forth between two places. | Trade places. a + b = b + a and a x b = b x a |
| Associative (of addition, of multiplication) | An associate is a partner. | Change partners (move the parentheses). (a + b) + c = a + (b + c) and (a x b) x c = a x (b x c) |
| Distributive (of multiplication over addition) | To distribute is to hand one out to everyone. | The multiplier goes to every term inside. a x (b + c) = a x b + a x c |
| Identity and Inverse (Lesson 1) | Identity = who you are. Inverse = turned around. | a + 0 = a, a x 1 = a; a + (-a) = 0, a x 1a = 1 |