To solve the equation -16 = 9k + 7k, we need to combine the like terms on the right side of the equation.
First, we add the coefficients of k: 9k + 7k = 16k.
So, the equation becomes -16 = 16k.
Next, we isolate the variable k by dividing both sides of the equation by 16:
-16/16 = 16k/16.
This simplifies to -1 = k.
Therefore, the solution to the equation is k = -1.
To check if our solution is correct, we can substitute k = -1 back into the original equation.
-16 = 9(-1) + 7(-1).
This simplifies to -16 = -9 - 7, which is true.
Hence, k = -1 is indeed the solution to the equation -16 = 9k + 7k.