The commutative property states that the numbers on which we operate can be moved or swapped from their position without making any difference to the answer. The property holds for Addition and Multiplication, but not for subtraction and division.
It does not matter which he does first. Either way, zero pairs will be created on both sides, which will isolate the variable to determine x<span>. Adding the </span>x<span>-tiles and then the unit tile, or visa versa, will give the same solution.</span>