On a cold February morning, Colton checked the temperature on his phone and saw that it was -3ºC. When he checked again after school, the temperature had dropped 3°C. What was the temperature after school?

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Littletiger asked Apr 13, 2022

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5 votes

On a cold February morning, Colton checked the temperature on his phone and saw that it was -3ºC. When he checked again after school, the temperature had dropped 3°C. What was the temperature after school? To solve the problem, Ellen subtracted -3 - (-3) and came up with an answer of 0°C. Is Ellen correct? Why or why not?

Mathematics
high-school

Littletiger asked Apr 13, 2022

by Littletiger

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1 Answer

9 votes

Ellen is incorrect, -3 subtracted by 3 gets you -6. Ellen is wrong because she subtracted -3 instead of just 3. Subtracting a negative number is the same thing as adding.

Michael Berdyshev answered Apr 19, 2022