The multiplicative inverse property states that the reciprocal of a nonzero number a is

The multiplicative inverse property states that the reciprocal of a nonzero number a is

• A. a
• B. 1/a
• C. -a
• D. 1

Answer: (B)

The multiplicative inverse is the number that, when multiplied by a nonzero number a, gives 1. That number is its reciprocal, 1/a, since a × (1/a) = 1 for any nonzero a. For example, if a = 5, the reciprocal is 1/5 because 5 × 1/5 = 1; if a = -3, the reciprocal is -1/3 because -3 × -1/3 = 1. The reciprocal is unique for each nonzero a. The other options don’t work in general: a would multiply to a^2, not 1 (except in special cases like a = ±1); -a gives -a^2, not 1; and 1 would only work when a = 1.

The multiplicative inverse is the number that, when multiplied by a nonzero number a, gives 1. That number is its reciprocal, 1/a, since a × (1/a) = 1 for any nonzero a. For example, if a = 5, the reciprocal is 1/5 because 5 × 1/5 = 1; if a = -3, the reciprocal is -1/3 because -3 × -1/3 = 1. The reciprocal is unique for each nonzero a. The other options don’t work in general: a would multiply to a^2, not 1 (except in special cases like a = ±1); -a gives -a^2, not 1; and 1 would only work when a = 1.