Question

an equation is shown.

$m + 4 = -1$

what is the value of $m$ in the equation?

Explanation:

Step1: Isolate the variable m

To solve for \( m \) in the equation \( m + 4 = -1 \), we need to subtract 4 from both sides of the equation. This is based on the subtraction property of equality, which states that if we subtract the same number from both sides of an equation, the equation remains balanced.

$$ m + 4 - 4 = -1 - 4 $$

Step2: Simplify both sides

Simplifying the left side, \( m + 4 - 4 \) simplifies to \( m \). Simplifying the right side, \( -1 - 4 \) equals \( -5 \) because when we subtract a positive number from a negative number, we add their absolute values and keep the negative sign. So we have:

$$ m = -5 $$

Answer:

\( -5 \)