---
tags:
  - theorems
  - prealgebra
---

# 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.
