write an equivalent expression be distributing the "-" sign outside the parentheses

To distribute the negative sign outside the parentheses in the expression \(-(-3y + 8.2z - 5.4)\), you will change the signs of each term inside the parentheses. Here's how it's done:

\[ -(-3y) + - (8.2z) + -(-5.4) \]

This simplifies to:

\[ 3y - 8.2z + 5.4 \]

Thus, the equivalent expression is:

\[ 3y - 8.2z + 5.4 \]