They are commutative. As to whether unification and association are the same thing... yes, kinda. Unifying two terms kinda means associating them with each othe

They are commutative. As to whether unification and association are the same thing... yes, kinda. Unifying two terms kinda means associating them with each other in a database. Though I will say that it would have been better to say 'unifies x and z, as well as y and 3'.