---
tags:
  - Mathematics
  - Prealgebra
  - theorems-axioms-laws
---

# The Associative Property of Addition and Multiplication

**Let $a$, $b$ , $c$ represent members of $\mathbb{W}$ or $\mathbb{Z}$ then:**

$$ (a + b) + c = a + (b + c) $$

$$ a \cdot (b \cdot c) = (a \cdot b) \cdot c $$

When grouping symbols (parentheses, brackets, braces) are used with the multiplication and addition of whole numbers and integers, the particular placement of the grouping symbols relative to each of the addends or multiplicands does not change the sum/product.
