For the beginning problem, let's refer to the given information so that we can write our addition expression. Win = 5, lose = -5, draw = 0, so we can substitute in these values into Blake's results.
lose, win, lose, win, win, lose, win, draw
-5 + 5 + (-5) + 5 + 5 + (-5) + 5 + 0
If we simplify by eliminating the parentheses and the zero, we get the following:
-5 + 5 - 5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 5
Next, we can begin to compute this expression by eliminating pairs of -5 and 5 (which equal 0). Because there are three pairs of -5 and 5, we can eliminate these and make our expression a single number.
Therefore, Blake's point total for the first 8 rounds is 5.
For the next question, we must write a similar addition expression to represent the situation. Losing weight means that we should subtract that number and gaining weight means we should add that number to Aiden's starting weight. This is modeled below:
156 - 4 + 2 - 5 - 3 (this is the addition expression)
To find Aiden's new weight, we can just simplify this expression.
156 - 2 - 8
156 - 10
146
Therefore, Aiden's new weight is 146 pounds.
Hope this helps!