Ch. R - Review of Basic Concepts

Lial13th EditionCollege AlgebraISBN: 9780136881063Not the one you use?Change textbook

Lial 13th Edition

Ch. R - Review of Basic Concepts

Problem 29

Chapter 1, Problem 29

Find each sum or difference. -15+6

Verified step by step guidance

Identify the operation: The problem asks to find the sum or difference of -15 and 6, which means we are adding a negative number and a positive number.

Rewrite the expression clearly: $-15 + 6$.

Understand that adding a positive number to a negative number is equivalent to subtracting the smaller absolute value from the larger absolute value and keeping the sign of the number with the larger absolute value.

Compare the absolute values: $| -15 | = 15$ and $| 6 | = 6$. Since 15 is greater, the result will have the sign of -15, which is negative.

Subtract the smaller absolute value from the larger absolute value: $15 - 6$ and then apply the negative sign to get the final expression.

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

This video solution was recommended by our tutors as helpful for the problem above.

Video duration:

Was this helpful?

Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Integer Addition and Subtraction

This concept involves combining positive and negative whole numbers. Adding a positive number increases the value, while adding a negative number decreases it. Understanding how to handle signs is essential for correctly computing sums and differences.

Number Line Visualization

Using a number line helps visualize addition and subtraction of integers. Moving right represents adding positive numbers, and moving left represents adding negative numbers or subtracting. This aids in understanding the direction and magnitude of changes.

Simplifying Expressions

Simplifying involves performing arithmetic operations to reduce an expression to a single value. For sums and differences, this means combining like terms and calculating the final result accurately.

Recommended video:

Guided course

05:07

Simplifying Algebraic Expressions

Related Practice

Textbook Question

Simplify each expression. Assume all variables represent nonzero real numbers. -(2x⁰y⁴)³

views

Textbook Question

Insert ∈ or ∉ in each blank to make the resulting statement true. 5 ____ {4, 6, 8, 10}

views

Textbook Question

Add or subtract, as indicated. $- (8 x^{3} + x - 3) + (2 x^{3} + x^{2}) - (4 x^{2} + 3 x - 1)$

views

Textbook Question

Write each rational expression in lowest terms. 8m² + 6m - 9 / 16m² - 9

views

Textbook Question

Concept Check Kurt factored 16a²-40a-6a+15 by grouping and obtained (8a-3)(2a-5). Callie factored the same polynomial and gave an answer of (3-8a)(5-2a). Which answer is correct?

Textbook Question

Find each product. (14r-1)(17r+2)

views