How do you combine like terms in #(- 4q - 9) - ( 5q + 7)#?

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Answer 1 · 2017-06-18T13:33:10

See a solution process below:

First, remove all of the terms from parenthesis. Be careful to handle the signs of each individual term correctly:

#-4q - 9 - 5q - 7#

Next, group like terms:

#-4q - 5q - 9 - 7#

Now, combine like terms:

#(-4 - 5)q + (-9 - 7)#

#-9q + (-16)#

#-9q - 16#