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 :

To determine which expression is equivalent to [tex]\( pq \)[/tex], we need to understand what each option represents:

1. [tex]\( p + q \)[/tex] represents the addition of [tex]\( p \)[/tex] and [tex]\( q \)[/tex].
2. [tex]\( p - q \)[/tex] represents the subtraction of [tex]\( q \)[/tex] from [tex]\( p \)[/tex].
3. [tex]\( \frac{p}{q} \)[/tex] represents the division of [tex]\( p \)[/tex] by [tex]\( q \)[/tex].
4. [tex]\( qp \)[/tex] represents the multiplication of [tex]\( q \)[/tex] and [tex]\( p \)[/tex].

The initial expression, [tex]\( pq \)[/tex], is the multiplication of [tex]\( p \)[/tex] and [tex]\( q \)[/tex]. In mathematics, there is a property of multiplication called the commutative property, which says that the order in which we multiply two numbers does not change the result. So, [tex]\( pq \)[/tex] is equal to [tex]\( qp \)[/tex].

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

Thus, the correct choice is the one corresponding to [tex]\( qp \)[/tex].