Commutative
Maths.
Multiplication and addition are commutative
The commutative property of multiplication means that the ordering of the items multiplied together makes no difference to the final result.
Example 1
3 x 4 gives the same result as 4 x 3.
In the first case:
3 x 4 = 12
In the second case:
4 x 3 = 12
Example 2
The commutative property also applies to addition.
4 + 5 gives the same final result as 5 + 4.
Both expressions give the result 9.
Division and subtraction are not commutative
The commutative property does not apply to division. The order of items being divided does make a difference to the final result.
Example 3
20 / 4 gives a different result from 4 / 20.
In the first case:
20 / 4 = 5
In the second case:
4 / 20 = 0.2
Example 4
The commutative property does not apply to subtraction.
5 - 3 gives a different result from 3 - 5.
The result of the first expression is +2.
The second expression produces -2.
