Question

How should you group the following expression to make it easiest to add? 18 − 949 + 79 − 8 (1 point)
Responses

(18 − 8) + (−949 + 79)
Left Parenthesis 18 minus 8 Right Parenthesis plus Left Parenthesis negative 9 Start Fraction 4 over 9 End Fraction plus Start Fraction 7 over 9 End Fraction Right Parenthesis

(18 − 9 − 8) + (−49 + 79)
Left Parenthesis 18 minus 9 minus 8 Right Parenthesis plus Left Parenthesis negative Start Fraction 4 over 9 End Fraction plus Start Fraction 7 over 9 Right Parenthesis

(18 − 8 − 9)
Left Parenthesis 18 minus 8 minus 9 Right Parenthesis

(8 − 18) + (49 + 79)
Left Parenthesis 8 minus 18 Right Parenthesis plus Left Parenthesis Start Fraction 4 over 9 End Fraction plus Start Fraction 7 over 9 End Fraction Right Parenthesis
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1 answer

To make the expression \( 18 - 949 + 79 - 8 \) easiest to add, we should aim to group the terms in a way that simplifies the calculations.

Let's analyze the given options:

  1. (18 − 8) + (−949 + 79): This groups \( 18 \) and \( -8 \) together, which simplifies down to \( 10 \), and groups \( -949 \) and \( 79 \), which still requires dealing with large negative values. This may not be the easiest grouping.

  2. (18 − 9 − 8) + (−49 + 79): This seems less intuitive as it doesn't maintain the original components of the expression directly.

  3. (18 − 8 − 9): This simplifies \( 18 - 8 - 9 \) directly but also doesn’t account for the \( -949 \) and \( +79 \) properly.

  4. (8 − 18) + (49 + 79): This grouping seems inaccurate in terms of maintaining the original numbers.

Considering simplifications and ease of calculation, the most optimal way would be to directly combine the components:

  • Start with \( 18 - 8 \) which equals \( 10 \).
  • Combine the large negative and positive numbers \( -949 + 79 \).

As we analyze them, the first response (18 − 8) + (−949 + 79) seems to provide a reasonable way to simplify, as it helps minimize the calculations needed for the negative value alongside its corresponding positive term.

Therefore, the best response to group the expression for easier addition is:

(18 − 8) + (−949 + 79).