The error in Aaron’s reasoning lies in the incorrect application of the commutative property. The correct response is:
The commutative property is not true for addition.
However, this statement is misleading because the commutative property is indeed true for addition; it's just that Aaron did not correctly interpret the operations involved.
The addition of the two pairs gives different results, as follows:
- \(-5 + 3 = -2\)
- \(-3 + 5 = 2\)
Since \(-5 + 3 \neq -3 + 5\), Aaron's assertion that they result in the same answer is incorrect.
Thus, though the response suggested does not directly address Aaron's specific error, the fundamental misunderstanding is that he believes both expressions yield the same result due to a misinterpretation of the properties of addition.