Simplify the signs first.  Double negatives result in a positive.

The answer is:  

Simplify the following expression:

We are dealing with a complex series of negative numbers. We have to combine these accurately to get the correct answer.

Let's deal with the first two terms. When subtracting from a negative number, we are essentially adding a negative to an already negative number. Therefore, 

Which can be combined to get:

Now, we need to deal with the third term. Subtracting a negative is the same as adding a postive (recall that two negative signs make a positive).

So, our final answer is 10

A negative number raised to an even-numbered power is equal to the absolute value of the number taken to that power. Therefore,

This number is equal to 4 taken as a factor four times, so 

To find the value of , plug in the given x and y values into the appropriate places.

For  and ,

Now, follow the order of operations to simplify. Tackle the exponent first.

Next, multiply.

Finally, subtract.

Adding negatives is the same as subtracting. This is because we are adding negative numbers to our positive number, which in turn will make it smaller than when we originally started.

Let's take  and add our  to it, making sure to count down because this is a negative we are working with.

, .

We have counted  down from our original number, . We can see that  is what we'll get when we add .

Our answer is .

Subtracting a negative can sound a little confusing, but it is rather simple.

When subtracting a negative, you are adding it to your positive number. If that sounds confusing, then think of Leave, Change, Opposite.

We shall use our equation to demonstrate this technique. We have  minus . We're going to leave our  alone, change our minus into a plus, and opposite our  into a .

Our equation now should be  because we changed our sign and our subtraction. If this still confuses you I suggest you use a calculator and input  and you should get the same answer, which is .

Our answer is .

When multiplying with a negative, you need to understand when to bring the negative sign over in the final answer. You only have the number be negative if the one of the numbers is negative and the other is positive. If both numbers are negative, then they will cancel each other and be positive.

For our example we can see that we only have one negative number and a positive number,  and  respectively. So our answer has to be negative.

Multiply the two numbers as you would, making sure that your end result has a negative in it.

Our answer is .

When multiplying with a negative, you need to understand when to bring the negative sign over in the final answer. You only have the number be negative if the one of the numbers is negative and the other is positive. If both numbers are negative, then they will cancel each other and be positive.

For our example, we can see that both of our numbers are negative,  and . This means that our final answer will be positive, as both of the negative signs will cancel each other out.

Multiply the two numbers together as you would, making sure to leave out the negative in your final answer.

Our final answer is .

Dividing with a negative is the same as multiplying with a negative. You only have the number be negative if the one of the numbers is negative and the other is positive. If both numbers are negative, then they will cancel each other and be positive.

Here we can see that we have one negative and one positive,  and  respectively. This means that our final answer will have a negative in it.

Divide the problem as you would, making sure that you place a negative sign in your answer. 

Our answer is .

Dividing with a negative is the same as multiplying with a negative. You only have the number be negative if the one of the numbers is negative and the other is positive. If both numbers are negative, then they will cancel each other and be positive.

Here we can see that both of our numbers are negative,  and . Because of this we won't add a negative sign in our answer because both will cancel each other.

Divide the problem as you would, making sure to leave out the negative sign.

Our final answer is .