What property is expressed in the equality b + (-b) = 0?
The property that is being expressed in the equality b + (-b) = 0 is the additive inverse property.
To understand this property, let's break down the equation:
b represents a number or variable.
(-b) represents the additive inverse of b, which means the negative of b.
The additive inverse property states that for any real number or variable b, its additive inverse (-b) exists such that when b is added to its additive inverse, the result is always zero.
In other words, if you have a number b, and you add its negative, -b, the sum will always be zero:
b + (-b) = 0
This property is fundamental in arithmetic and algebra, allowing us to cancel out positive and negative numbers.