When is the following a true statement ?
(a+b) = a + b
if a and b are nonnegative.
The statement (a+b) = a + b is always true when a and b are nonnegative. This is because when both a and b are nonnegative numbers, there are no negative values for either a or b that could cancel each other out in the addition process.
To understand why this is true, let's break down the addition process:
1. When we have (a+b), we are adding the values of a and b together.
2. Similarly, when we have a + b, we are also adding a and b together.
Since both expressions involve adding a and b, and there are no negative values for a or b, the final result will always be the same. In other words, when dealing with nonnegative numbers, the order of addition doesn't matter.
To validate this statement, you can use an example by substituting any nonnegative values for a and b and evaluating both sides of the equation. Regardless of the specific values chosen, both sides will be equal, confirming the truth of the statement.