Answer:
Jesse's cards are 3, -5, 9, and -6. The problem is asking for the total, so you would add them up:
Explanation:
Start at 0. Adding a positive integer is simple addition. Add 3 to get 3.
Adding a negative integer is like subtraction: 3 + (-5) = 3 - 5 = -2.
Add 9, taking 9 steps forward, on the number line, to get 7.
Add -6, by subtracting 6, to get 1.
Jesse's total score is 1.
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As for part 2, Jesse getting two more cards, which don't affect his final score ...
Either he got two zeroes, or he got two cards with opposite signs, but equal magnitudes, such as 1 and -1.
The sign of a number is whether it is positive or negative. The magnitude (absolute value) of a number is how far that number is from zero. The magnitude of a number is NEVER negative.
The two cards do not affect Jesse's point total, because their effects cancel each other out. For example, a 1 would move him one step forward, on the number line, and a -1 would move him one step backward, on the number line.