Question

an animal shelter had 12 fewer cats than their capacity. then they received 18 stray cats. they need families to adopt some cats right away to get back to their capacity. which of the following equations matches the situation above? choose 1 answer: a (-12 + 18 -? = 0) b (12 - 18 -? = 0) c (-12 - 18 +? = 0)

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the initial situation

The shelter had 12 fewer cats than capacity, so we can represent the initial number of cats relative to capacity as \(-12\) (since it's 12 below capacity).

Step2: Analyze the change when they received cats

They received 18 stray cats, so we add 18 to the previous value, getting \(-12 + 18\).

Step3: Analyze the need to get back to capacity

To get back to capacity (which is a difference of 0 from capacity), they need to adopt out some number of cats (let's call this number "?"). So we subtract the number of cats adopted out from the current number of cats (after receiving 18) to get back to 0 (capacity). So the equation is \(-12 + 18 -? = 0\).

Answer:

A. \(-12 + 18 -? = 0\)