equivalent expression

Question

Which expression is equivalent to -5 - (-3)?

A -5 - 3

B 5-3

C 3-5

D 3+5

Answer 1

Whenever I see a negative outside of a parenthesis, I always like to distribute that on. What that means is multiply everything inside the parenthesis by -1. For example: 4-(3x-4), I would multiply the negative onto the 3x-4, becoming 4-3x+4, where I can then combine like terms.

Your case is even simpler. You have -(-3). If you distribute the negative onto the -3, it becomes +3.

Therefore, the entire equation is -5+3, or 3-5.