Answer: You should remember that if the minus sign is before the parentheses, you need to distribute it, otherwise, you can always use it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The associative property says that:
A + (B + C) = (A + B) + C
Where A, B, and C are real numbers.
Let's see if it does:
10 + (- 5 - 4) = 10 + (-9) = 1
(10 + -(5)) - 4 = 5 - 4 = 1
thiw seems to work, let's se other case:
10 - (5 - 4) = 10 - (1) = 9
now, apply the associative relation
(10 -5) + 4 = 9
Where the sign must change, because we actually have that -(5 - 4) = -1*(5 - 4) so we must distribute the minus sign in the parentheses.
Then, if you take this in mind, you always can use the associative property.
