Which property illustrates that changing the grouping of the addends does not change the sum?

The property that illustrates that changing the grouping of the addends does not change the sum is the Associative property. This property states that when adding three or more numbers, the way in which the numbers are grouped does not affect the overall sum. For example, if you have the numbers 2, 3, and 4, you can group them as (2 + 3) + 4 or 2 + (3 + 4), and in both cases, the sum will be 9.

This property is crucial because it allows for flexibility in calculations, enabling students to find easier ways to add numbers, especially when working with larger sets of numbers or when looking to simplify computations.

In contrast, the Commutative property pertains to the order of the addends, stating that changing the order in which they are added still yields the same sum. The Inverse property relates to addition and subtraction, where an addend and its inverse (the negative) combine to equal zero. The Distributive property connects multiplication and addition, showing how a multiplicative expression can be distributed over an additive one. Each of these properties serves a distinct role in arithmetic, but it is the Associative property that directly addresses the grouping of numbers