Question

read this word problem. in science class, antonio started an experiment using a solution with a temperature of -5°c. during the experiment, the change in the solutions temperature was -4°c. what was the final temperature of antonios solution? to solve the problem, antonio added -5 + (-4) and came up with an answer of -9°c. is antonio correct? why or why not? yes, antonio is correct. no. the answer should have been 9°c, not -9°c, because a negative plus a negative is always a positive. no. antonio should have subtracted -5 - (-4) because the temperature dropped.

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the initial and change values

Initial temperature = $- 5^{\circ}C$, change in temperature = $-4^{\circ}C$.

Step2: Use the addition formula for temperature change

Final temperature = Initial temperature+Change in temperature. So, we calculate $-5+( - 4)$.
When adding two negative numbers, we add their absolute - values and keep the negative sign. $|-5| = 5$ and $|-4| = 4$, and $5 + 4=9$, so $-5+( - 4)=-9^{\circ}C$.

Answer:

Yes, Antonio is correct.