- Identify the expression to solve: \(-6 + (-2)\).
- Recognize that adding a negative number is equivalent to subtraction: \(-6 - 2\).
- Sum the absolute values \(6\) and \(2\) to get \(8\), then assign the negative sign: \(-8\).
- The final result is \(\boxed{-8}\).
Explanation
- Analysis of the Problem
We are asked to calculate the sum of two negative integers: \(-6\) and \(-2\). The expression is \(-6 + (-2)\). Adding a negative number is equivalent to subtracting its absolute value from the first number. Alternatively, we can view this as moving to the left on the number line starting from \(-6\) by a distance of \(2\) units.
- Calculating the Sum
When adding two negative numbers, we sum their absolute values and then apply a negative sign to the result.
The absolute value of \(-6\) is \(|-6| = 6\), and the absolute value of \(-2\) is \(|-2| = 2\).
Summing these absolute values gives us \(6 + 2 = 8\).
Applying the negative sign, we obtain \(-8\).
Therefore, \(-6 + (-2) = -(6 + 2) = -8\).
Examples
In financial accounting, if you start with a balance of \(\$ -6\) (representing a debt of \(\$6\)) and incur an additional expense of \(\$2\), your new balance will be \(\$ -6 - \$2 = \$-8\). This demonstrates how addition of negative numbers is used to track accumulating debt or deficits in real-world scenarios.