Final answer:
To evaluate the expression -3/8 - 1/2(-3 + 1 x 6)², first simplify inside the parentheses to get 3, then square to get 9, multiply by -1/2 to get -4.5, and finally add -3/8 to get -39/8.
Step-by-step explanation:
To evaluate the expression -3/8 - 1/2(-3 + 1 x 6)², we need to follow the order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS). Starting within the parentheses, we have -3 + 1 x 6, which equals -3 + 6 = 3. Then, we square 3 to get 3² = 9. Next, we simplify the expression -1/2(9). Since division takes precedence over multiplication, we need to first divide -1 by 2, resulting in -1/2. Finally, we multiply -1/2 by 9, giving us -9/2 or -4.5. Therefore, the evaluation of the expression is -3/8 - 4.5.
The student has asked to evaluate the expression: -3/8 - 1/2(-3 + 1 x 6)².
First, we need to simplify inside the parentheses: -3 + 1 x 6 gives us -3 + 6, which simplifies to 3.
Next, we square the result: 3² equals 9.
Then, we need to multiply this result by -1/2 as indicated by the expression: -1/2 x 9, which gives us -4.5.
Finally, we add this to -3/8, converting -4.5 to a fraction with the same denominator, which is -36/8. Therefore, the expression simplifies to -3/8 - 36/8, which equals -39/8.