Simplify: -5^3 -3
-125 -3 = 122 correct?
No, on two counts
-125 + 3 = -122
-125 - 3 = -128
-5 * -5 = 25
25 * -5 = -125
-125 -3 = -128
Look at what you are doing on a number line, negative is left. More negative is more left.
Oh, I bet I know what caused the confusion:
If you multiply or divide two negative numbers you change the sign to positive.
HOWEVER
That does not happen when adding.
i think -125-3=-128
Actually, the answer to the expression -5^3 -3 is different from your calculation. To simplify the expression, we need to apply the order of operations rules, also known as PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division from left to right, and Addition and Subtraction from left to right).
Let's break it down step by step:
1. The exponent is the first operation to solve since there are no parentheses. So, we calculate -5^3.
-5^3 means raising -5 to the power of 3, which indicates that -5 should be multiplied by itself three times.
-5^3 = -5 * -5 * -5 = -125
2. Next, we substitute the value we obtained in step 1 (-125) back into the expression:
-125 - 3
3. Finally, we perform the subtraction:
-125 - 3 = -128
Therefore, the simplified form of the expression -5^3 - 3 is -128, not 122.