The commutative property states that, when adding or multiplying numbers, the order in which they're added or multiplied does not matter. For example, 3 + 4 and 4 + 3 give the same result, as do 3 x 4 and 4 x 3.

The ratio of football cards to baseball cards is 5:2 and the ratio of baseball cards to basketball cards is 5:1. To solve this problem, we need the baseball card side of each ratio to be equal so we need to rewrite the ratios in terms of a common number of baseball cards. (Think of this like finding the common denominator when adding fractions.) The ratio of football to baseball cards can also be written as 25:10 and the ratio of baseball cards to basketball cards as 10:2. So, the ratio of football cards to basketball cards is football:baseball, baseball:basketball or 25:10, 10:2 which reduces to 25:2.

To simplify a radical, factor out the perfect squares:

\( \sqrt{28} \)
\( \sqrt{4 \times 7} \)
\( \sqrt{2^2 \times 7} \)
2\( \sqrt{7} \)

1

A factor is a positive integer that divides evenly into a given number. For example, the factors of 8 are 1, 2, 4, and 8.