Question

What's (negative 7) plus (positive 7) plus (negative 17) (adding positive and negative numbers)

Answer 1

Answer:

-17

Step-by-step explanation:

Adding the negative and the same number that is opposite, like positive, would cancel it out. So -7+7=0, since opposites cancel eachother out. The answer is what's left: -17, and ignore the addition sign since there is nothing on the other side to connect it.

Or you could do:

-7+7+(-17)

0+(-17)

0-17

-17

Answer 2

The answer is -17

The negative 7 and positive 7 add up to 0. They are opposites which cancel out. Think of it like being 7 dollars in debt (negative 7) and that debt is fully canceled out by the positive amount of money (positive 7). Put another way, the negative 7 means you go down 7 while the positive 7 means you go up 7.

After the first two terms cancel to 0, the -17 is the only thing left. Adding 0 to any number keeps that number the same.