document.write( "Question 23395: How do I insert parentheses to make these statements true? Thank you!\r
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document.write( "-8+3-2+7=-2\r
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document.write( "-8+3-2+7=-16 \n" );
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Algebra.Com's Answer #12281 by josmiceli(19441)![]() ![]() You can put this solution on YOUR website! My first observation is, if you had all plusses like: \n" ); document.write( "1 + 2 + 5 + 6 + 4 + 1 + 9 \n" ); document.write( "then it wouldn't matter where you put the parentheses.It wouldn't change anything. \n" ); document.write( "The same is true for all minuses, like: \n" ); document.write( "- 3 - 5 - 6 - 1 \n" ); document.write( "so, you can only change things where minus before plus, or a plus before minus.\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "-(8 + 3 - 2) + 7 = -(9) + 7 = -2 \n" ); document.write( "next one:\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "does -(8 + 3) - (2 + 7) = -16 ? \n" ); document.write( "no, it equals -20 \n" ); document.write( "I finally came up with: \n" ); document.write( "-(8 + 3 - 2 + 7) = \n" ); document.write( "-(11 - 2 + 7) = \n" ); document.write( "-(11 + 5) = -16 \n" ); document.write( "and that works.\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " |