Why Does Adding a Bracket Change My Equation Result?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around expanding and simplifying expressions involving brackets, specifically the expression -3e + (e - 1). Participants are exploring how the presence of the plus sign before the bracket affects the outcome of the equation.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are attempting to understand how to correctly apply the sign in front of the brackets to the terms inside. There is confusion regarding the interpretation of the operation as addition versus multiplication.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided guidance on how to distribute the sign to the terms within the brackets. There is a mix of interpretations regarding the correct simplification of the expression, with different answers being proposed.

Contextual Notes

Participants are questioning the necessity of the brackets in the expression and are discussing the implications of the operations involved. There is a noted misunderstanding of the problem setup, particularly in distinguishing between addition and multiplication.

Gringo123
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I'm studying expanding and simplifying brackets and I'm not sure how to tackle this type of problem:

-3e + (e - 1)

It's the + sign before the bracket that confuses me. My (wrong) answer was:
-3e squared + 3e
I guess that would have been right if that + wasn't there.
The answer is:
-3e - 1

How do I get to that?
 
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No...that is not the answer...it should be -2e - 1.
To tackle the problem, just apply the sign to the terms inside the brackets.
So, -3e + (e-1) = -3e + e - 1
(+ * + = +, + * - = -)
 
Got it! Thanks once again Fightfish!
 
Gringo123 said:
I'm studying expanding and simplifying brackets and I'm not sure how to tackle this type of problem:

-3e + (e - 1)
In this expression the parentheses (brackets are [ ]) are completely unnecessary.
-3e + (e - 1) = -3e + e -1 = -2e - 1.

You are interpreting this problem incorrectly as a multiplication problem even though the operation is really addition. In other words, you are working this problem:
-3e(e -1) = -3e2 + 3e.


Gringo123 said:
It's the + sign before the bracket that confuses me. My (wrong) answer was:
-3e squared + 3e
I guess that would have been right if that + wasn't there.
The answer is:
-3e - 1

How do I get to that?
 

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