Is this the same a(bc)=(ab)(ac)
No, the equation you provided is not true in general. The correct equation is:
a(bc) = (ab)c
This equation represents the associative property of multiplication, which states that the way in which parentheses are placed when multiplying three numbers does not affect the result.
To demonstrate this, let's break down the equation to understand and compare both sides:
Left side: a(bc)
Here, we first multiply b and c, then multiply the result by a.
Right side: (ab)c
Here, we first multiply a and b, then multiply the result by c.
If we evaluate both sides of the equation using specific values, we'll see that they are indeed equal. For example, let's consider a = 2, b = 3, and c = 4:
Left side: 2(3 * 4) = 2(12) = 24
Right side: (2 * 3) * 4 = 6 * 4 = 24
As you can see, both sides of the equation yield the same result of 24, which confirms that the equation is correct.