Final answer:
A real-world situation representing the sum of positive 3, negative -2, and negative -5 is owning 3 apples, owing 2 apples, and being owed 5 apples, which gives you a total of 10 apples.
Step-by-step explanation:
Imagine you have 3 apples, you owe 2 apples to a friend, and another friend owes you 5 apples. In this real-world situation, the positive 3 represents the apples you have, the negative -2 represents the apples you owe, which effectively adds 2 to your count, and the negative -5 represents the apples owed to you, which adds 5 to your count. To calculate what you end up with, add the numbers: positive 3, negative -2, and negative -5.
3 + 2 + 5 = 10. Therefore, you will have a total of 10 apples after all transactions are completed.
When dealing with integers and their operations, remember that adding two negative numbers together or subtracting a negative number (which is the same as adding a positive number) will increase the overall value. In contrast, if you were to add a positive and a negative number, you would calculate the difference, and the sign of the outcome would be the same as the sign of the larger number in magnitude.