Fill in the blank.
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Fill in the blank.
First let's remember the rule:
Now let's rewrite the exercise like so:
Then we can add -13 to both sides to cancel out the left side:
Finally, we obtain:
a is negative number.
b is negative number.
What is the sum of a+b?
The double negative rule says that subtracting a negative number is the same as adding a positive number. Think of it as: "taking away a debt is like gaining money!"
Handle them one at a time. Change each -(-number) to +number, then combine like terms. So becomes .
(negative of positive 3), but (negative of negative 3). The sign inside the parentheses matters!
You could, but it's much harder! The double negative rule simplifies the equation from to , making it easier to solve.
Substitute -53 back into the original equation: . Since this equals -40, our answer is correct!
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