If |a| = -a and |b| = -b, then a-b=
A) |a| +|b|
B) |a|-|b|
C) -|a|+|b|
D) -|a|-|b|
I don't get this, if you square root any number, how does it become negative??
who's talking about square roots? These are absolute values.
|a| = -a, so a = -|a|
same for b. So,
a-b = -|a| - (-|b|)
= -|a| + |b|
Ohh I mixed them up, thanks!
The expression |a| represents the absolute value of a number a. The absolute value function always returns a non-negative value. So, if |a| = -a, it means that the value of a is a non-negative number that is equal to its own negative. However, there is no number that satisfies this condition since a non-negative number cannot be equal to its negative.
Similarly, if |b| = -b, it also implies that the value of b is a non-negative number that is equal to its own negative, which is not possible.
Therefore, the given equations |a| = -a and |b| = -b have no solutions. Since there are no valid values for a and b, we cannot determine the value of a - b. Therefore, the correct answer is "Not determinable" or "Not possible" rather than any of the options A, B, C, or D.