Question

Fill in the blanks to make the statement true:$[13+(-12\left)\right]+(\_\_\_\_)=13+\left[\right(-12)+(-7\left)\right]$

Answer 1

Find the missing number using the associative property of addition.

Given equation: $[13+(-12\left)\right]+(\_\_\_\_)=13+\left[\right(-12)+(-7\left)\right]$

The general associative property: $a+(b+c)=(a+b)+c$

By using the general associative property we can write the $R.H.S.$ of the given equation as,

$13+\left[\right(-12)+(-7\left)\right]=[13+(-12\left)\right]+(-7)$

Hence, $[13+(-12\left)\right]+(\underline{-7})=13+\left[\right(-12)+(-7\left)\right]$