Question

Shelby made a mistake in her checkbook. She wrote a check for $8.50 to rent a video game but mistakenly recorded it in her checkbook as an $8.50 deposit. Part A: Which point represents each of Shelby's transaction on the number line below? Explain the difference between these two transactions. Part B: Use absolute value to explain how a debt of $8.50 and a deposit of $8.50 are similar.

Answer 1

Part A

The first transaction which is to write a check of $8.50 is a debit transaction which carries a negative sign while

The second transaction which states that she wrote it as a deposit carries a positive sign because deposit means to add

Part B

The absolute value of a number is never negative.

|-8.50| = 8.50

Explanation:

Part A: Which point represents each of Shelby's transaction on the number line below? Explain the difference between these two transactions.

The firsts transaction says:

She wrote a check for $8.50 to rent a video game.

Writing a check of $8.50 is a debit to her bank account. This is a negative value because $8.50 is taken from the money in her bank account.

Mathematically this means, -$8.50

The second transaction states that:

She mistakenly recorded it in her checkbook as an $8.50 deposit.

Mathematically, a deposit means a positive action, where money is added to the money in her bank account.

Hence,

+$8.50

Part B: Use absolute value to explain how a debt of $8.50 and a deposit of $8.50 are similar.

In mathematics it is important to note that:

The absolute value of a number is never negative.

Hence,

Debt of $8.50 = -8.50

Deposit of $8.50 = +8.50

Hence,

|-8.50| = 8.50