Three main aws regulate the treatment of ordinary algebraic quantities. These are the Associative Law, the Distributive Law, and the Commutative Law. If a, b, c, … , represent quantities dealt with in the algebra, the associative law of multiplication asserts that a(bc)=(ab)c, where the brackets have the usual meaning that the quantity within them is to be regarded as a single quantity: the distributive law of multiplication asserts that (a + b)(c + d)=ac + bc + ad + bd: and the commutative law gives ab = ba. With regard to addition, the associative law asserts that (a + b) + c = a +(b + c): and the commutative law gives a + b = b + a.