Help, I'm having issues with negatives in this problem, cant get right answer: Y+4/y+5-2 Please help me.

Question

Help, I'm having issues with negatives in this problem, cant get right answer:  Y+4/y+5-2  Please help me.

anonymous · Answer

is it an equation?

anonymous · Answer

yes, a rational expression type thing

anonymous · Answer

y+4/y+3  but what is your exercise asking?

anonymous · Answer

"Perform indicated operation"

anonymous · Answer

does it give the value of y?

phi · Answer

is the problem
$$ \frac{y+4}{y+5} -2 $$ ?

phi · Answer

If so, put the 2 over a common denominator by multiplying it by
$$ \frac{2}{1}\frac{(y+5)}{(y+5)} $$

phi · Answer

now the problem becomes
$$ \frac{y+4 -2(y+5)}{y+5} $$

phi · Answer

can you finish?

anonymous · Answer

How do i do the negatives?

anonymous · Answer

I keep getting the wrong answer :(

anonymous · Answer

multiplication 
- + = -
-- = +

anonymous · Answer

y + 4 - 2y - 10 / y + 5

anonymous · Answer

Can you do that now?

phi · Answer

mel showed the answer, but let's start with
-2(y+5)
this means multiply -2 times each term in the parentheses. -2*y + -2*5
or -2y-10
so the top
which starts y+4 - 2(y+5)  becomes y+4 -2y -10
can you follow?

anonymous · Answer

yes

phi · Answer

now combine like terms.  we can rearrange it to be y -2y +4 -10
y-2y is the same as 1y-2y  .  Can you do 1y-2y?

phi · Answer

can you do 1-2?
1y-2y is the same as (1-2)y

anonymous · Answer

is it y

anonymous · Answer

Actually, it is -y. Because  2 > 1.

phi · Answer

Here is a video on negative numbers http://www.khanacademy.org/math/arithmetic/negative-numbers/v/adding-subtracting-negative-numbers It might help?

anonymous · Answer

Ok, thank you :)

phi · Answer

This one might be useful (or not!) http://www.khanacademy.org/math/algebra/ck12-algebra-1/v/variable-expressions But first do the negative numbers....