Question

Suppose y is a positive integer. If x – (-y) = z, will z be greater than or less than x? Explain your answer.

z is greater than x, since –(-y) is the same as subtracting y.
z is greater than x, since subtracting-y is the same as adding its additive inverse, y.
z is less than x, since subtracting -y is the same as subtracting its additive inverse, y.
z is less than x, since –(-y) is the same as adding -y

Answer 1

z will be greater than x because subtracting a negative y from x is the same as adding the positive y, thereby increasing the value of x.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking whether z will be greater than or less than x when given the equation x - (-y) = z, where y is a positive integer. In this equation, you are subtracting a negative, which is the same as adding its positive counterpart. Therefore, you will be performing the operation x + y = z. According to the rules of addition, when you add a positive number to another number, the result increases. So, z will be greater than x. This is because subtracting the negative y (or adding the positive y) increases the value of x.