What is the associative property of addition?

The associative property of addition states that when adding three or more numbers, the way in which the numbers are grouped does not change the sum. Therefore, the statement (a + b) + c = a + (b + c) is a direct illustration of this property. It shows that whether you add 'a' and 'b' first or 'b' and 'c' first, the total remains the same.

This property is fundamental in arithmetic because it allows flexibility in computation. You can regroup numbers in various ways to simplify the calculation process while still arriving at the same result.