What operation makes the statement true; 18 __ (-20) =-2

Question

asked Dec 27, 2021 137k views

2 Answers

Adrian Van Vliet · Answer 1 · 2022-01-01T15:02:03+0000

Answer:

$\huge\boxed{\text{+}}$

Explanation:

To make this statement true, we want to make it so that when -20 is "something'd" to 18, we get -2.

Let's try all the common operators first - add, subtract, multiply, divide.

Let's try add.

If we put a plus sign there:

18 + (-20) = -2

Adding a negative is the same as subtracting a positive.

18-20=-2

This is true! 18 - 20 is indeed -2. This means + is the right operator.

For fun, let me briefly go over what happens with all the other operators.

Subtract:

$18 - (-20) = -2\\\\18+20=-2\\\\28 \\eq -2$

Multiply:

$18 \cdot (-20) = -2\\\\-360 \\eq -2$

Divide:

$18 / (-20) = -2\\\\-0.9 \\eq -2$

Hope this helped!