Answer:
The complete number line for the expression 2.5 + 5 - (-4 1/4) would be: -2.5 --> 0.0 --> 2.5. The result is 2.5 + 5 - (-4.25) = (2.5 + 5) - (-4.25) = 7.5 - (-4.25) = 7.5 + 4.25 = 11.75. So the expression evaluates to 11.75.
Explanation:
One fun way to picture this number line is as a rainbow! We start with -2.5, which is a nice blue color, and then we move up to 0.0, which is green, and then we keep climbing higher to 2.5, which is yellow! And then we look at the next part of our expression: 5 - (-4 1/4). We know that the minus sign means subtract, and we're starting with something negative (4 1/4), so we need to add to get back to zero! So we can think of it like adding 4 1/4 to 5, or adding 4 to 5 + 0.25. The result is 9.25, which would be about a reddish-orange color on our rainbow number line. And finally, we need to add this to the 2.5 that we got earlier, so the complete number line is: -2.5, 0.0, 2.5, 9.25. So the expression evaluates to 11.75, which is a bright yellow on the rainbow! And that's how we get the answer.