Question

A football team lost 9 yards on its first play. On the next two plays they gained 3 yards and then 6 yards.

Answer 1

what is the question

Answer 2

A. What expression can be written to represent how many yards the football team is from where it started? Explain your reasoning.

B. How many yards is the football team from where it started?

C. Suppose that, instead, the football team had gained 9 yards on its first play and lost 9 yards on its second play. Would the team’s position on the field have been any different than it actually was after the first two plays? Why or why not?

Answer 3

part A) generally, gaining something is represented with positive numbers and losing something is represented with negative numebers

so they lost 9 yards the first play ---> -9
next two plays they gain 3 and then 6 ---> + 3 + 6
total: -9 + 3 + 6

Answer 4

part B) evaluate the expression from part A

part C) notice what happens when you gain 9 and lose 9 (9 - 9. what does this evaluate to? what does this mean in terms of their position after two plays?