# How do you simplify –(–8)?

Sep 9, 2015

$- \left(- 8\right) = + 8$

#### Explanation:

The negative of a negative is a positive.

Maybe this example will help(???)

Suppose Joe withdraws $8 from his bank account every week (and has done so for years ever since he inherited a substantial sum). This is the only activity that occurs in this account and Joe's bank allows its customers to overdraw their accounts (i.e. have a negative balance). Suppose that this week Joe's balance had reached zero ($0); next week (i.e. in $1$ week his balance will be $- 8$ dollars; in 2 weeks from now, his balance will be $2 \times \left(- 8\right) = - 16$ dollars; and so on.

The question is what was Joe's bank balance 1 week before now. We are looking at a week that is $- 1$ relative to now, when his balance was $\left(- 1\right) \times \left(- 8\right)$ or equivalently $- \left(- 8\right) = + 8$ dollars.

Sep 9, 2015

This is a bit tricky....

#### Explanation:

Think of it as a debt...of a debt!
You owe me $8, so you come to me to give me $8 and become poorer or "not have" $8 which can be written as a "hole" into your wallet of $- 8$...BUT I am a good guy and I do not care about the debt I put a minus and tell you: "forget about the debt"...so you go away with $8....or $- \left(- 8\right) = + 8$ into your wallet.

Hope it is not confusing...!