Question

write an equivalent expression by distributing the \−\ sign outside the parentheses:
−(−3y + 3.4)

Explanation:

Step1: Apply distributive property

The distributive property for a negative sign outside parentheses is \( - (a + b)=-a - b \), or more generally \( - (a - b)=-a + b \). Here, we have \( -(-3y + 3.4) \), which is equivalent to multiplying each term inside the parentheses by - 1.
So, \( -1\times(-3y)+(-1)\times(3.4) \)

Step2: Simplify each term

For the first term, \( - 1\times(-3y) = 3y \) (because the product of two negative numbers is positive).
For the second term, \( -1\times(3.4)=- 3.4 \) (because the product of a negative and a positive number is negative).

Combining these two terms, we get \( 3y-3.4 \)

Answer:

\( 3y - 3.4 \)