Question

Ignacio and Oliver were playing a game. Each of them grabbed a handful of algebra tiles. They wanted to see whose expression had the greater value. Two expressions can be compared by dividing the expression mat in half to change it into an Expression Comparison Mat. Then the two expressions can be built side by side and compared to see which one is greater Oliver put his tiles on Mat A in the picture above and described it as 5+(-3). Ignacio put his tiles on Mat B and said it was (-5)+2 With your class find two different methods to simplify the two expressions so you can compare them. Which side of the mat is larger? Mat A Mar B 5+(-3) (-5)+2

Answer 1

Mat A:

`5+(-3)`

Mat B:

`(-5)+2`

Opperations of symbols:

`\begin{gathered} -(-n)=+n \\ -(n)=-n \\ +(-n)=-n \\ +(n)=+n \end{gathered}`

Then, simplify the expressions in each mat:

1. Eliminate the parentheses, use the operations of symbols to do it:

`\begin{gathered} \text{Mat A:} \\ 5-3 \\ \\ \text{Mat B:} \\ -5+2 \end{gathered}`

Sum the numbers:

`\begin{gathered} \text{Mat A:} \\ 2 \\ \\ \text{Mat B:} \\ -3 \end{gathered}`

As in a number line number 2 is more on the right that -3.

The larger mat is the mat with number 2 (Mat A)