Question

How do you simplify `-16+9-5`?

Answer 1

-12

Explanation:

Adding and subtracting negative numbers is a pretty tricky thing to learn (trust me, I know!), but if you go through it slowly and use a couple tricks, you can figure it out.
Here's our equation:
`-16 + 9 - 5 = ?`

The first two numbers we are going to deal with are `16` and `9`. Now these aren't just normal `16` and `9`, one is positive and one is negative. I just put some parentheses around them, so that we remember that:
`(-16) + (+9)`

So the easiest way to learn how to do this type of problem is make a number line like this:
Obviously, this number line doesn't go far enough, but you could draw it to go all the way to `-16`. Now put your finger at `-16` and count to the right 9 lines. Where is your finger at now? It should be at `-7`.

( If you need extra explanation: You moved 9 spaces to the right because that is that direction positive numbers are. Since 9 is positive, you will get closer to 0, not further away.)

Okay! So now we have:
`-7 - 5 = ?`
`(-7) + (-5) = ?` (I added parentheses again)
Put your finger back on the `-7` and move to the left 5 spaces. Because `5` is negative, we move to the left, or further away from 0.
You should now be at `-12`, which is the answer of this equation.