negative 2 minus negative 5
Understand the Problem
The question is asking us to perform a subtraction operation involving negative numbers. In mathematical terms, subtracting a negative number is equivalent to adding its absolute value. Therefore, we will transform 'negative 2 minus negative 5' into 'negative 2 plus 5'.
Answer
3
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is 3
Steps to Solve
- Rewrite the problem as an addition problem When you subtract a negative number, you add the absolute value of that number. Therefore, $-2 - (-5)$ becomes $-2 + 5$. 2. Perform the addition Add the numbers from the previous step: $$ -2 + 5 = 3 $$ 3. State the final answer The final answer is obtained from the addition in the previous step.
The final answer is 3
More Information
Subtracting a negative number can be thought of as adding the opposite, which often simplifies operations.
Tips
A common mistake is to forget to change the minus negative sign to a plus when performing the operation.
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