College

Which expression is equivalent to [tex]pq[/tex]?

A. [tex]p+q[/tex]
B. [tex]p-q[/tex]
C. [tex]\frac{p}{q}[/tex]
D. [tex]qp[/tex]

Answer :

Sure! Let's figure out which expression is equivalent to [tex]\( pq \)[/tex] from the given options.

The expressions provided are:
1. [tex]\( p + q \)[/tex]
2. [tex]\( p - q \)[/tex]
3. [tex]\(\frac{p}{q}\)[/tex]
4. [tex]\( qp \)[/tex]

To find the correct equivalent expression, we should understand that multiplication of two numbers [tex]\( p \)[/tex] and [tex]\( q \)[/tex] is commutative. This means that [tex]\( pq = qp \)[/tex].

Now, let's examine each option:

1. [tex]\( p + q \)[/tex]: This expression represents the addition of [tex]\( p \)[/tex] and [tex]\( q \)[/tex]. It's not the same as multiplying [tex]\( p \)[/tex] and [tex]\( q \)[/tex], so this is not equivalent to [tex]\( pq \)[/tex].

2. [tex]\( p - q \)[/tex]: This expression represents the subtraction of [tex]\( q \)[/tex] from [tex]\( p \)[/tex]. Again, this is not equivalent to multiplying [tex]\( p \)[/tex] and [tex]\( q \)[/tex].

3. [tex]\(\frac{p}{q}\)[/tex]: This represents the division of [tex]\( p \)[/tex] by [tex]\( q \)[/tex]. This is not equivalent to the multiplication of [tex]\( p \)[/tex] and [tex]\( q \)[/tex].

4. [tex]\( qp \)[/tex]: This is simply another way to express the multiplication of [tex]\( p \)[/tex] and [tex]\( q \)[/tex]. Since multiplication is commutative, [tex]\( qp \)[/tex] is indeed equivalent to [tex]\( pq \)[/tex].

Thus, the expression that is equivalent to [tex]\( pq \)[/tex] is [tex]\( qp \)[/tex].