Question

How do you Simplify this expression

Answer 1

Use the order of operations in order to simplify (solve) the expression

-12 ÷ 3 x (-8 + (-8) - 6) + 2      Original expression
-12 ÷ 3 x (-16- 6) + 2              Inside the parenthesis do the addition of the first negatives. -8 +-8 = -16
-12 ÷ 3 x (-22) + 2                 Inside the parenthesis subtract -16-6 = -22
-4 x (-22) + 2                       Multiplication and division is worked from left to right. -12 divided by 3 is -4
88 +2                                  Multiply -4 x -22 = 88. Two negatives make a positive with multiplication.
90                                       Addition 88 + 2 = 90

Answer 2

The expression must be simplified using the order of operations. In this case, the terms inside the parenthesis should be simplified first. Within the parenthesis, there is a nested parenthetical term, which is simplified before the rest of the term inside the parenthesis. The +(-8) term simplifies to -8. The terms inside the parenthesis then become (-8-8-6), which is equal to -22. Then, multiplication and division are performed next, in order as they appear. So -12/3 is equal to -4. Then, -4 is multiplied by the -22 from the parenthetical expression to equal 88. Then, addition and subtraction are the final steps in the order of operations, so the 2 is added to the 88, for a total of 90.