How do you simplify #(8)(-2^2)#?
2 Answers
Explanation:
Use PEMDAS and you will find that the simplified value is 32.
Explanation:
Let's use PEMDAS, which is an abbreviation for:
P arentheses
E xponents
M ultiplication
D ivision
A ddition
S ubtraction
This is the order of operations when working with mathematical expressions. Starting from the top, we have two elements in parentheses:
Our first element is as simplified as can be, so we can remove the parentheses. The second element needs some work, so we'll start with that.
Inside the parentheses, we don't have any subsets of parentheses, so we'll skip straight down to exponents. The square of any negative number is positive, which includes this scenario:
Replacing this in the original expression:
Now, when you have a number right next to a parentheses, it is the same as saying it is multiplied by the outer value:
Let's remove the parentheses on the 4, since it's in the simplest form, and work further down the order of PEMDAS:
The next step is multiplication:
Now, we're at our simplest form since there are no more operations to do. The expression has been fully simplified.
