Question

Question 7152: Imagine using integer chips to represent the sum 5 + -9. How many zero pairs would you be able to make? What is the value of 5 + -9?

a) 5 zero pairs; -4
b) 4 zero pairs; 4
c) 9 zero pairs; -14
d) 14 zero pairs; -5

Answer 1

Using integer chips to represent 5 + -9, you can make 5 zero pairs, and the remaining value is -4.

Step-by-step explanation:

When using integer chips to represent the sum 5 + -9, you can make zero pairs by pairing each positive chip with a negative chip. Since there are 5 positive chips and 9 negative chips, you can make 5 zero pairs because that is the number of pairs you can make before running out of positive chips. What remains will be 4 additional negative chips. Therefore, the value of 5 + -9 is -4. This is because after making zero pairs with the 5 positive and 5 of the negative chips, there are 4 negative chips left, and no positive chips to pair them with.