Question

Is division of rational numbers commutative?

Answer 1

By rational numbers, you are referring to numbers like 3, `1/2`, -9.5, or 0. (any ratio of two integers that can be written as a fraction)

Give yourself an easy example first: `10/2=5`, right?
Well, now commute or switch the order of the division: `2/10=1/5`.
They are definitely not the same!

Multiplication, of course, is commutative: `2*5 = 5*2 = 10`
Division is the inverse operation of multiplication, but it is NOT commutative.

Addition, we know, is commutative as well: 4 + 8 = 8 + 4 = 12.
Subtraction is the inverse operation of addition, but it is NOT commutative: `4 - 8 != 8 - 4` since -4 `!=` 4.

I guess it's important to know what operations are inverses of each other, and to test the Commutative Property just in case!