-(12x-8y)

i am a little confused by this. would the negative make 12x into -12x, and then -8y becomes +8y instead? would it be -12x+8y

yes

ok thank u

Yes, you are correct! The negative sign applies to each term inside the parentheses. So, -(12x - 8y) would distribute the negative sign to both terms inside the parentheses.

To apply the negative sign to 12x, you change the positive 12x to -12x. And to apply the negative sign to -8y, you change the negative -8y to positive +8y.

Therefore, -(12x - 8y) simplifies to -12x + 8y.