Simplify the expression:


                                         12h - 17 - h + 16 - 2h
Place a 1 coefficient before
the h. 

                                        12h - 17 - 1h + 16 - 2h


Write all the subtractions as
additions of signed numbers.


                                 (+12h) + (-17) + (-1h) + (+16) + (-2h)

Rearrange with the h-terms first:

                                  (+12h) + (-1h) + (-2h) + (-17) + (+16) 

Add the first two (+12h) + (-1h)
They have opposite signs, so we
subrtact their absolute values,
12-1, getting 11, take the sign
of the one with the larger 
absolute value, then put the h
with it and get (+11h), so now 
we have this: 

                                          (+11h) + (-2h) + (-17) + (+16)

Add the first two (+11h) + (-2h)
They have opposite signs, so we
subrtact their absolute values,
11-2, getting 9, take the sign
of the one with the larger 
absolute value, then put the h
with it and get (+9h), so now 
we have this:

                                                   (+9h) + (-17) + (+16)
We can't combine an h term
with a term without h, so
we leave the (+9h) and then
combine the (-17) + (+16).
They have opposite signs, so we
subrtact their absolute values,
17-16, getting 1, take the sign
of the one with the larger 
absolute value, 17, and get 
(-1), so now 
we have this:

                                                   (+9h) + (-1)

Then we eliminate the parentheses
from the (+9h) and also eliminate
the + sign, and just have 9h

                                                      9h + (-1)

Finally we can change the addition
of -1 to a subtraction of 1, and
finally we have
                                                         9h - 1

Edwin