Simplifying the Expression (-1 + i) + (21 + 5i) Using the Commutative Property of Addition

Which expression demonstrates the use of the commutative property of addition in the first step of simplifying the expression (-1 + i) + (21 + 5i)?

The commutative property of addition states that changing the order of the terms does not affect the sum

The commutative property of addition states that changing the order of the terms does not affect the sum. In other words, a + b is equal to b + a.

To demonstrate the use of the commutative property of addition in the expression (-1 + i) + (21 + 5i), we can rearrange the terms to change the order.

(-1 + i) + (21 + 5i)

Using the commutative property, we can change the order of the terms inside the parentheses:

(-1 + i) + (5i + 21)

Now, we can simplify the expression further. This requires adding the real parts (the constants) and the imaginary parts (the terms with ‘i’) separately:

(-1 + 21) + (i + 5i)

Simplifying the real parts: -1 + 21 = 20

Simplifying the imaginary parts: i + 5i = 6i

Putting it all together, we get:

20 + 6i

So, the expression (-1 + i) + (21 + 5i) simplifies to 20 + 6i using the commutative property of addition.

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