This is a problem on my math /algebra assignment that I seem to be struggling with. Please help if possible. I'd appreciate it. I don't want the answer, I just want to know how to do the problem. If anyone can explain in simple terms, that would be great!
2006-11-24 08:31:52 · 13 answers · asked by journeythroughlife85 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
Think about the sentence:
"I am not not not going to stay home today."
If it were "I am not going to stay home today", that would mean I am going to leave the house.
If it were "I am not not going to stay home today", that's a double-negative, and it means I'm staying home.
Then if it were "I am not not not going to stay home today", that's a triple negative, so it means I'm going to leave the house again.
Negatives work the same way. A negative times a negative is a positive. Then a positive times a negative makes it negative again.
2006-11-24 08:38:07 · answer #1 · answered by Jim Burnell 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Back in whatever grade they teach you the order of operations and in that order, parenthesis comes first. You answer the part of the problem inside the parenthesis first. So you start with -7 and that cannot be simplified. Then you move to the next parenthesis (-). You mulitply that - by -7 and you will get 7 (positive). This is because that is not just a -, but it is understood as a -1. Since the 1 will not affect the answer, they just write it as -. You then move to the next parenthesis and keep moving farther out until you get to the end and you have used all the -'s.
2006-11-24 16:37:54 · answer #2 · answered by Matthew W 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you know that a negative number multiplied by a negative number is positive. ok, first, whereever there is a negative sign, think that there is a 1 in front of it. sooo...it's really asking:
(-1 x -1)(-7)
okay, -1 x -1=1.
And 1 x (-7)= -7. So the answer is negative 7.
2006-11-24 16:42:21 · answer #3 · answered by love&&life 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
-(-(-7)) is the same thing as -1(-1(-7)) which is the same thing as -1 x (-1 x -7)
if you ever see x or a sign like the one above (-) alone there is an invisible 1 right next to it.
Therefore -1(-1(-7)) equals first you need to solve what's inside the parenthesis which is (-1(-7)) which equals 7. Then your equation will look like this -(7). So now your multypling -1 x7.
And yoru final answer is -7
2006-11-24 16:40:27 · answer #4 · answered by Estrella 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Each time you have a -() around the 7, it changes the sign between negative(-) and positive(+). You need to remember that when you multiply two negatives, you form a positive number. So each time you have a -(), you are essentially multiplying the -7 by a negative (-), forming a postive(+), and then multiplying again by the -() turns it back to negative. Hope that makes sense.
2006-11-24 16:48:57 · answer #5 · answered by ANN H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the( means multiply and - means-1 so multiplying -1*-1=+1
+1*-7=-7
Always remember this rule :multiplying 2 negatives gives you a positive while multiplying a negative by a positive gives you a negative
2006-11-24 16:44:28 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
an odd number of negative signs simplifies into a negative
an even number of negative signs simplifies into a positive
there are 3 negative signs, so it will simplify into -7
2006-11-24 16:41:51 · answer #7 · answered by cheshirecat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First, realize you have 3 negitives. The rule is that two negitives equal a positive. Therefore, the third negitive makes this negitive 7.
2006-11-24 16:36:32 · answer #8 · answered by danjlil_43515 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
-7
2006-11-24 16:34:05 · answer #9 · answered by bob the matrix 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
–(–(–7)).?
(–7) = –7
–(–7) = + 7
= 7
–(–(–7)) = –(+7)
= –7
............
So –(– (..... (–7)) = 7 if there are an even number of "–"
and –(– (..... (–7)) = –7 if there are an odd number of "–"
2006-11-24 16:47:31 · answer #10 · answered by Wal C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋