Question

-144 is -1 x 2a x 3b what is the sum of a+b?

Answer 1

-144= -1×2a×3b
144=2a×3b
144= 6ab
24= ab

a,b could b any two factors that have a product of 24
For example a,b could = 6,4 or 8,3 or 24,1 

Answer:
This question is tricky because it could have multiple answers: for example is a,b= 6,4 then a+b= 10, but if a,b=24+1=25. So, the answer is that the sum of a+b varies depending on which 2 factors of 24 a and b are equal to. Does this make sense?