Properties of Real Numbers
Main Concept
Any real numbers a, b and c have the following properties:
They are closed under addition: a+b is a real number
They are closed under multiplication: a⋅b is a real number
Addition is associative: a+b+c=a+b+c
Multiplication is associative: a⋅b⋅c=a⋅b⋅c
Addition is commutative: a+b=b+a
Multiplication is commutative: a⋅b=b⋅a
They are distributive: a⋅b+c=a⋅b+a⋅c
0 is the additive identity: a+0=a
1 is the multiplicative identity: a⋅1=a
Each number has an additive inverse: a+−a=0
Each number except for 0 has a multiplicative inverse: a⋅a−1=1
Use the sliders to choose a, b and c. Use the radio buttons to demonstrate the distributive property: a⋅b+c=a⋅b+a⋅c.
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