Tell how the commutative and associative properties of addition can help you evaluate the expression using mental math. -6-8+6

Answer 1

To evaluate the expression $-6-8+6$ using the commutative and associative properties of addition, let's rewrite the expression in a way that simplifies our calculation.

1. Rearrange the terms using the commutative property: The commutative property states that the order of addition does not change the result. We can rearrange the terms in our expression: $$-6+6-8$$

2. Combine like terms using the associative property: The associative property states that the way numbers are grouped in an addition does not change the sum. Here, we can group $-6$ and $6$ first: $$(-6+6)-8$$

3. Calculate the grouped terms: Now, we can evaluate $-6+6$, which equals $0$: $$0-8$$

4. Finish the calculation: Finally, $0-8$ equals $-8$.

Therefore, the value of the expression $-6-8+6$ is $-8$. By using the commutative and associative properties, we simplified our mental math process significantly.