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Associative Property of Multiplication Worksheets

The “Associative Property of Multiplication” is just a fancy way of saying that when you’re multiplying 3 or more numbers together, you can pick any two to start.

For example: When multiplying 2 x 4 x 5, instead of multiplying 2 x 4 to get 8 and then needing to multiply 8 by 5, you could first multiply 4 x 5 to get 20. Then multiply 20 by 2. The answer will be 40 no matter what!

The associative property of multiplication allows you to pause and ask yourself, “How can I group these numbers together to make the problem easier?”

Being able to apply this multiplication property enhances your problem solving skills and makes you a more critical thinker!

Resource Details

Age(s): 6 - 9
Grade(s): 1st Grade to 4th Grade
9 Printable PDF Resources
Includes Answer Key(s)

Understanding the Associative Property of Multiplication

Let’s go through an example to demonstrate the Associative Property of Multiplication step by step.

Example:

Original expression:

Applying the Associative Property:

Step 1: Multiply the numbers within the first set of parentheses.

Step 2: Multiply the resulting numbers.

Rearranged expression:

Applying the Associative Property:

Step 1: Multiply the numbers within the second set of parentheses.

Step 2: Multiply the resulting numbers.

Conclusion:

Both expressions, and , yield the same result: 24. This illustrates the Associative Property of Multiplication, demonstrating that how we group the factors in a multiplication operation doesn’t change the product. Regardless of the grouping, the final result remains the same.

Associative Property of Multiplication (Printable PDFs)

In these “Associative Property of Multiplication Worksheets,” students will use what they know about the associative property of multiplication to fill in the missing values of various number sentences. Some worksheets include a bank of solutions for students to choose from. All worksheets include an answer key.