7 - (-7) = ? and -4 - (-2) = ?
Understand the Problem
The question involves solving two mathematical expressions involving subtraction and negative numbers. The goal is to simplify each expression and find the results.
Answer
The answers are $14$ and $-2$.
Answer for screen readers
The results are:
For the first expression: $14$
For the second expression: $-2$
Steps to Solve
- First Expression Simplification
For the first expression, we have:
$$ 7 - (-7) $$
Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding its positive counterpart. Thus, we can rewrite it as:
$$ 7 + 7 $$
- Calculate the First Expression
Now, we calculate:
$$ 7 + 7 = 14 $$
- Second Expression Simplification
For the second expression, we have:
$$ -4 - (-2) $$
Again, subtracting a negative number becomes adding its positive counterpart. We can rewrite it as:
$$ -4 + 2 $$
- Calculate the Second Expression
Now, we calculate:
$$ -4 + 2 = -2 $$
The results are:
For the first expression: $14$
For the second expression: $-2$
More Information
The operations involved here highlight how subtraction of negative numbers effectively turns into addition. This property is important in many areas of mathematics, particularly in algebra.
Tips
One common mistake is to forget that subtracting a negative number turns into addition, which can lead to incorrect calculations. Always remember the rule: $a - (-b) = a + b$.
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