4 of 44 of 4 Items

Question

Question
Aaron claims the same answer could also be found by adding either –5 + 3 or –3 + 5.

What is the error in Aaron’s reasoning?

(1 point)
Responses

The commutative property is not true for addition.
The commutative property is not true for addition.

The negative signs were switched.
The negative signs were switched.

The numbers are not in the correct order.
The numbers are not in the correct order.

The associative pro

Answer 1

The error in Aaron’s reasoning is: The commutative property is not true for addition.

However, the statement itself is incorrect, as the commutative property is true for addition. Therefore, if Aaron is suggesting that –5 + 3 and –3 + 5 yield the same result, he is misunderstanding the application of the commutative property, which states that the order of addition can be changed, but the signs of the numbers involved must also be considered. However, neither of the combinations actually equals the same result, which is where his error lies.

To clarify:

• -5 + 3 results in -2.
• -3 + 5 results in 2.

They are not equal, thus supporting that there's a misunderstanding in contributing the correct application of addition properties.

In terms of the options provided, none of the listed responses specifically addresses the fundamental error in reasoning regarding number values and their signs.

If you are providing options in another form, please let me know!