Question

Can someone sort of teach me how to do this step by step? I didn't learn much math in school so I'm trying to teach myself and a step by step would be great.

(-2y^5+y^3-2y)-(y^5-4y^3+6)

Answer 1

-3y^5+5y^3 -2y-6.

Explanation:

(-2y^5+y^3-2y)-(y^5-4y^3+6)

We can remove the parentheses from the first half of the expression

= -2y^5+y^3-2y - (y^5-4y^3+6)

Now concentrate on the expression inside the second parentheses:

There is a 1 understood outside -(y^5-4y^3+6) so we can write it as

-2y^5+y^3-2y -1(y^5-4y^3+6)

Now we 'distribute' the -1 over the second parentheses.

Remember that a negative * positive = negative and negative * negative = positive.

So we multiply each term in the parentheses by -1 and at the same time remove the parentheses:

= -2y^5+y^3-2y -y^5+4y^3-6

Now bring like terms together:

= -2y^5-y^5+y^3+4y^3-2y-6

Now simplify this by adding like terms.

= -3y^5+5y^3 -2y-6.