4. Ali multiplies 3 numbers using the expression \( a \times(b \times c) \) and \( (a \times b) \times c \). What property of multiplication does Ali use?

Ali is using the associative property of multiplication, which states that the way in which numbers are grouped in a multiplication problem does not affect the product. So whether he calculates \( a \times(b \times c) \) or \( (a \times b) \times c \), he gets the same result! In mathematics, the associative property allows for more flexibility in calculations. This means if Ali has numbers that are super tricky to multiply, he can group them differently to make the math easier! For example, if \( a = 2, b = 3, \) and \( c = 4 \), he could rearrange the operation to \( a \times c \) first for a quicker solution.