Question

How do you evaluate `96+ 53- 18- 88`?

Answer 1

`96+53-18-88=43`

Explanation:

When we see an expression like this to evaluate, the first thing we want to do is look for traps that can lead us away from the correct answer. These could be brackets or `xx` or `-:` that can change the order in which we evaluate the expression.

Fortunately there are none here. There are only `+` and `-` signs. This time we will try two different methods of evaluating, to see which works out better.

1) Add first then subtract:

`96+53-18-88=149-18-88=131-88=43`

2) Subtract the two larger numbers, then the two smaller, then add the remaining results:

`96+53-18-88=96-88+53-18=8+35=43`

So we arrive at the same answer using either method.