When solving an equation, Carmen's first step is shown below. Which property justifies Carmen's first step? Original Equation: 5+(2+x)=5 First Step: (5+2)+x=5 associative property of multiplication associative property of addition commutative property of addition multiplication property of equality

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When solving an equation, Carmen's first step is shown below. Which property justifies Carmen's first step? Original Equation:  5+(2+x)=5 First Step:  (5+2)+x=5 associative property of multiplication associative property of addition commutative property of addition multiplication property of equality

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Rewrite Equation: Carmen's first step is to rewrite the equation 5+(2+x) as (5+2)+x. This step involves regrouping the numbers without changing their order. We need to identify which property of algebra allows us to regroup numbers in an addition problem without changing the value of the expression.Associative Property of Addition: The associative property of addition states that when three or more numbers are added, the way in which they are grouped does not change their sum. In other words, (a + b) + c = a + (b + c). This property allows us to change the grouping of the numbers in an addition expression.Commutative Property of Addition: The commutative property of addition states that the order in which two numbers are added does not change their sum. In other words, a + b = b + a. This property is not being used here because the order of the numbers is not being changed.Irrelevant Properties: The associative property of multiplication and the multiplication property of equality are not relevant to this step because there is no multiplication or equation manipulation being performed in this step.

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