Which equation shows the associative property of multiplication?

• A. A × (B × C) = (A × B) × C
• B. A × B × C = B × A × C
• C. A × (B + C) = A × B + A × C
• D. A × 1 = 1 × A

Answer: (A)

The associative property of multiplication says that when you multiply three or more numbers, the way you group them doesn't change the product. In other words, a × (b × c) equals (a × b) × c, because the regrouping of factors doesn’t affect the result.

The equation A × (B × C) = (A × B) × C shows this idea directly: you can multiply B and C first, or you can multiply A and B first, and you’ll get the same final product. That regrouping is exactly what associative means.

The other options illustrate different ideas: swapping order of factors is the commutative property; distributing multiplication over addition is the distributive property; multiplying by 1 shows the multiplicative identity.