Question

On the first two downs, a football team lost a yard and then gained 18 yards. Write an expression with addition that shows the change in yards on the first two downs

A) -1 + 18
B) 1 - 18
C) 1 + 18
D) -1 - 18

Answer 1

The correct expression to show the change in yards when a football team first loses a yard and then gains 18 yards is -1 + 18. The team has gained a total of 17 yards after the two downs.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a football team first loses a yard and then gains 18 yards, we can represent this situation with an algebraic expression using addition. Losing a yard is represented by -1, whereas gaining yards is represented as a positive number. To find the total change in yards, we simply add these two numbers together.

The correct expression is -1 + 18. When applying the rules of addition:

• When two numbers with opposite signs add, you subtract the smaller number from the larger number.
• The answer takes the sign of the larger number.

Thus, applying these rules to our expression gives us:

-1 + 18 = 17 yards gained.