How do you simplify –15 – (–3) + 4?

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Answer 1 · 2018-07-09T22:41:57

#-8#

#-15 - (-3) + 4#

First, we know that two negative signs next to each other mean a positive sign:
#-15 + 3 + 4#

Now add from left to right:
#-12 + 4#

#=-8#

Hope this helps!

Answer 2 · 2018-07-09T22:47:20

#-8#

One of the key realizations is that when we subtract a negative number, we are adding the positive version of that number.

With this in mind, we can rewrite our expression as

#-15+3+4#, which simplifies to

#-15+7#, or #7-15=-8#

Hope this helps!