I don't understand how to do this problem
in Algebra 1 Answers by
reshown by

Your answer

Your name to display (optional):
Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications.
Anti-spam verification:
To avoid this verification in future, please log in or register.

1 Answer

You need to look at the innermost brackets first and work out the result of the operation in brackets.

So we have: (7-19)=-12; {-5-(-1)}={-5+1}=-4. That takes of the innermost brackets.

Next we look at operator priority. That is, multiplication and division take priority over addition and subtraction. I see 16/2=8.

This is what we have so far: 3[2(-12)+4-8{-4}]. It looks like -8{-4} is +32 or plain 32, because -8{-4} means -8×{-4}=32, since minus times minus is plus and minus divided by minus is plus.  2(-12) means 2×(-12)=-24.

Now we have everything within the square brackets: 3[-24+4+32]=3[-20+32]=3[32-20]=3×12=36.

So the answer is 36.

However I feel there is an ambiguity: -16/2{-4} could also mean -16 divided by 2×(-4)=-8 so -16/-8=2.

The calculation would then be 3[-24+4+2]=3×(-18)=-54.

 

 

by Top Rated User (1.2m points)

Related questions

1 answer
asked Aug 20, 2017 in Other Math Topics by Shawnette | 295 views
1 answer
asked Oct 2, 2019 in Pre-Algebra Answers by anonymous | 472 views
1 answer
asked Sep 23, 2019 in Other Math Topics by Bob | 1.8k views
1 answer
asked Jul 16, 2018 in Pre-Algebra Answers by anonymous | 327 views
1 answer
1 answer
asked Dec 14, 2015 in Other Math Topics by Christine. | 640 views
1 answer
2 answers
1 answer
asked Dec 7, 2014 in Fraction Problems by anonymous | 604 views
1 answer
asked Sep 16, 2014 in Algebra 1 Answers by Marley | 566 views
1 answer
Welcome to MathHomeworkAnswers.org, where students, teachers and math enthusiasts can ask and answer any math question. Get help and answers to any math problem including algebra, trigonometry, geometry, calculus, trigonometry, fractions, solving expression, simplifying expressions and more. Get answers to math questions. Help is always 100% free!
87,516 questions
100,281 answers
2,420 comments
733,641 users