Question
On the set Q of all ration numbers if a binary operation * is defined by $\text{a}\ ^*\ \text{b}=\frac{\text{ab}}{5},$ prove that * is associative on Q.

Answer

Let $\text{a, b, c}\in\text{Q}.$ Then,
$\text{a}\ ^*\ (\text{b}\ ^*\ \text{c})=\text{a} \ ^*\ \Big(\frac{\text{bc}}{5}\Big)$
$=\frac{\text{a}\big(\frac{\text{bc}}{5}\big)}{5}$
$=\frac{\text{abc}}{25}$
$(\text{a}\ ^*\ \text{b})\ ^*\ \text{c}=\Big(\frac{\text{ab}}{5}\Big)\ ^*\ \text{c}$
$=\frac{\big(\frac{\text{ab}}{5}\big)\text{c}}{5}$
$=\frac{\text{abc}}{25}$
Therefore, a * (b * c) = (a * b) * c, $\forall\ \text{a, b, c}\in\text{Q}$
Thus, * is associative on Q.

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