Question

A student starts with the number -15 and wants to reach zero. Select all the ways the student can reach zero.

A) Add 15.
B) Add -15.
C) Subtract 15.
D) Subtract -15.
E) Add the additive inverse of 15.
F) Add the additive inverse of -15.

Answer 1

The student can reach zero starting from -15 by either adding 15 (option A), subtracting -15 (option D), or adding the additive inverse of -15 (option F).

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine how a student can reach zero starting from -15, we can apply basic arithmetic operations and consider the rules of addition and subtraction for positive and negative numbers. Considering each option listed in the question:

• Add 15: When you add 15 to -15, you get zero because -15 + 15 equals zero.
• Add -15: If you add -15 to -15, the answer will be -30, which is more negative, not zero.
• Subtract 15: Subtracting 15 from -15 is the same as adding -15 to -15, resulting in -30.
• Subtract -15: When you subtract -15 from -15, you are actually adding positive 15 to -15 since subtraction of a negative number becomes addition. So -15 - (-15) is equal to -15 + 15, which equals zero.
• Add the additive inverse of 15: The additive inverse of 15 is -15, so adding -15 to -15 again results in -30.
• Add the additive inverse of -15: The additive inverse of -15 is +15, and adding that to -15 will indeed get you to zero (-15 + +15 = 0).

From the above analysis, the student can reach zero by either adding 15, subtracting -15, or adding the additive inverse of -15.