Find each sum or difference. See Example 1. -2.8 + 4.5

Key Concepts

Addition of Real Numbers

Addition of real numbers involves combining two or more numbers to obtain a total. In this case, -2.8 and 4.5 are real numbers, and their sum can be found by aligning their signs. When adding a negative number to a positive number, you subtract the absolute values and keep the sign of the number with the larger absolute value.

Understanding Positive and Negative Values

In mathematics, positive values are greater than zero, while negative values are less than zero. When performing operations with positive and negative numbers, it is essential to recognize how their signs affect the outcome. For example, adding a positive number to a negative number results in a value that is closer to zero than the positive number alone.

Order of Operations

The order of operations is a set of rules that dictates the sequence in which mathematical operations should be performed to ensure consistent results. While this specific question involves only addition, understanding the order of operations is crucial in more complex expressions where multiple operations are present, such as parentheses, exponents, multiplication, and division, before addition and subtraction.