Hi there!
So let's make this easier for you to understand. Here's the important information we know :
Earn = + (4x + 12) points
Lose = - (2x - 5) points
To know the total number of points you have, you'll need to subtract the points you lost from the points you earned :
(4x + 12) - (2x - 5) = Number of points you have now (let's say "?")
Now all you have to do is solve this in order to have a simplified expression:
(4x + 12) - (2x - 5) = ?
See the subtraction sign between the two group terms? Think of it as moving into the secon group of terms and being placed before each of them. So in other words, you'll need to distribute the minus (-) sign to the whole second parentheses. One this is done, you can remove the parentheses and do some simple adding and subtraction :
(4x + 12) -2x + 5 = ?
4x + 12 -2x + 5 = ?
4x - 2x = 2x
12 + 5 = 17
2x + 17 = ?
So your answer is : The expression that represents the total number of points you have now is 2x + 17.
There you go! I really hope this helped, if there's anything just let me know! :)
